Maelstrom of Roses
by jingo4754
Summary: An unusual dust brings two unlikely people together by fate. Seven years later, the two return to the home of Summer Rose. Now she must reconnect with her family while helping her disciple Naruto Uzumaki survive the world of Remnant. She never suspected the difficulty of the tasks at hand or the choice Naruto would have to make for himself when he discovers the truth of both worlds
1. The beginning

**I'm not dead! My writing mojo is possible black (depending on how this goes will be the judge of that). I'm working on the next chapter for Fox and Cards right now and a few other side projects. I'm currently in college and have a part time job so my writing is sporadic. That said, enjoy!**

 **I do not own either Naruto or RWBY. I simply greatly respect and love both series.**

 ** _PLEASE READ, ENJOY, AND REVIEW!_**

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An adult woman stared out the window as she sat in the chair of the airship she and her companion rode upon. The woman stood at five feet eleven inches tall with silver eyes that showed turmoil of emotion. Mid back length black hair that turned red at its tips tied into a pony tail while the bangs parted to one side of her face. Her body was well toned and athletic from years of training and battle with a generous bust. Her outfit, a plated red with white lace corset around her waist over a red long sleeve tunic. Red pants with white trim and red and white plated heeled boots. She wore a pair of red bracers with stock locks and plates on her knuckles to give some extra protection when using her weapon. However, the piece of clothing that stood out the most was the large white cloak draped over her and the large guns strapped to her thighs. This woman was Summer Rose.

It had been seven years since Summer Rose walked the streets of Patch. Seven years since she last saw her precious daughters and loving husband. How much has changed? Would they accept her back? Listen to her story? "Auntie Summer?" The voice of a teenage boy called from next to her. The boy wore a dark orange shirt cover by an open black jacket with the collar raised and black fingerless gloves on his hands. A dark brown belt held up his orange pants with black stripes going down the seams and on his feet, a pair of black boots with orange lace. His headband secured in its usual spot on his head. On the back of his belt a large sheath holding some kind of weapon. Various pouches on the sides and front of the belt as well. She turned to him, snapping out of her spaced out demeanor. Naruto Uzumaki, her disciple and the reason she was able to see her family again. "You nervous?" The sixteen-year-old asked as he looked at his mentor.

"Very." Summer responded before she took a deep breath, "We're going to be landing soon." Naruto nodded and remained silent. Honestly, what could he say at this point that he hadn't said already? It was the final leg of Summer's journey back home. All they needed was to get to was her home and hope her family still lived there. As the two waited for the aircraft to land, they both recalled their journey thus far.

 ** _Seven years ago:_**

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Exterminate the local Grimm causing problems for a settlement. The mission started easily as the Grimm were not much of a challenge. It wasn't until a pack of Creep Grimm managed to take cover inside of a cave that everything went wrong. Since the mission called for all the Grimm to be taken care of, Summer pursued. Once she located them, Grimm, they attacked once again. Summer dispatched the Grimm with ease with her weapon Scattered Skies, a morphing zweihander/dual-guns.

The sword form appeared to be a zweihander with a thicker blade and hand guard than normal. The blade itself had a seam down the middle, which allowed the blade to part and reveal two gun barrels at the end of the extended grip which could be fired by a trigger on the main handle. When morphed into gun form, the sword split into a pair of 500 Magnum revolvers. The hand guard of the weapon functions as the grip for the fire arm, having a small gap for her hand to slip through with the trigger on the inside of the gap. The blade itself flips around onto the top of the gun, both keeping its ability to be used as a cutting weapon and becoming an iron sight for the revolvers. The hilt of the sword retracts inward slight to act as arm stock to help reduce recoil.

Once the Grimm had been killed, Summer turned to leave the cavern. However before she could leave, something caught her eye. A cluster of dust crystals as black as night against the back of the cave wall. Such a color of dust had not been recorded before to her knowledge. She walked over to the crystal to take a sample for analysis back in Vale. However, despite the careful measures she took to safely extract a sample of the dust, a reaction was triggered. The dust lets off an ominous glow before flashing, releasing a large explosion of energy. Summer attempted to get away from the explosion but could not escape.

 ** _Konoha hospital:_**

Summer wasn't sure of how long she had been unconscious, but when she awoke she found herself inside the hospital of Konoha. _"Someone must have found me…"_ Summer thought to herself as she looked around. She didn't appear injured so either her aura wasn't depleted from the blast or she was never injured. The second thing she realized is that her weapons were missing. She looked at the door as it opened, revealing an elderly man in a white coat with a large hat and what seemed to be medical personnel.

"How are you feeling?" The elderly man asked as he took a seat near the bed.

"Fine, thank you for asking." Summer replied, "If I may ask, were my weapons taken when I was found?"

The elderly man took a puff from his pipe in response to Summer's question before answering, "Yes they were, and they are being kept secure until we can determine just where it is you appeared from. According to the ones that found you, you appeared out of thin air next to a crystal in one of our training grounds."

"Crystal… So then that dust must have transported me here. Never heard of a type of dust that could do that before." Summer responded before she noticed the look of confusion on the elderly man's face.

"Dust you say. I cannot say I've ever heard someone refer to those crystals as dust before. Where exactly are you from?" The elderly man asked.

Now it was Summer's turn to be confused. Never heard of dust before? Just where exactly was she teleported too… "I'm a huntress from the island of Patch."

The elderly man took another puff of his pipe, "I see. I do not know of this island called Patch. You are currently in Konohagakure. I am the third Hokage."

"I… don't know what any of that means." Summer replied in all honesty. The third could only sigh in response; this would be a long day.

That was only the beginning of Summer's adventures in Konohagakure. After her and the third Hokage traded information with each other for hours, he was kind enough to let her stay in the city under the supervision of an escort. During her stay, he would have someone try to find information on her home. Granted her weapons were still kept locked up for the time being, but she couldn't exactly blame the third Hokage. Given how her information and his didn't match up in the least, he most likely was suspicious of her. Not to mention how much her outfit stood out compared to the others. She could tell people were watching her as she wandered the streets.

Time passed and she learned exactly what she was afraid of. That strange dust she tried to take a sample of took her away from Remnant itself. It was the only way to explain the drastic change of history, lack of dust and no Grimm. So far the fact no Grimm existed was the only benefit of this world as far as she found. The weapons of the people here were far under par of her own, which she eventually got returned to her. No one else in this world seemed to have aura, instead having this other energy source called chakra.

Summer had to admit the things she had read about chakra were amazing. It was essentially dust inside the human body that the person could control, even down to the element used. Most of her reading on chakra was an attempt to see if she could find any reference to another sample of the dust that transported her here. After going back to the cave she was found in, she had found that the dust that transported her was now useless as it had used all its power. She knew she had to find a way home soon. Her husband and children were no doubt waiting for her.

Speaking of children, Summer stopped as she passed a park filled with the sound of children laughing. Four of them playing what she guessed was a game of tag since one was chasing the other three. Summer found herself smiling at the scene, taking a moment to enjoy the scene in front of her. A moment of peace was always a pleasant image to see. However, this moment didn't last long. Seeing as the sun was setting, the parents of three of the children came to take their children home. This left only one child standing alone in the park to watch as the others all left, a small blonde boy with blue eyes and strange whisker looking marks on his cheeks. Summer felt for the boy as both he and she watched the others leave and decided to stay and watch him, at least until his parents came.

However, after a few minutes of waiting, the sun was almost out of sight. The boy had taken a seat on the swing set and rocked back and forth slowly as he looked at the ground. Summer decided she had seen enough and walked around the park fence to its entrance. From there she walked over to the boy and took a seat next to him on another swing, "Hello."

The boy glanced at Summer for a moment before responding, "Hi." He then went back to simply rocking the swing with his foot.

"It's getting late. Shouldn't you be heading home?" Summer asked politely. Making small talk with a child one didn't know was a little difficult.

The boy only turned his head away, "Why bother. No one is there waiting for me anyway."

Summer's gaze softened at the boy. Her mind took that a few different ways, none of which were pleasant. This boy was either feeling like an outsider in his family or didn't have a family to begin with. She really was hoping it was the first possibility. However that didn't stop her from speaking again, "I'm sorry to hear that. Still, a young man such as yourself shouldn't be out so late. It's bad for your health not to get enough rest. Shall I walk you home?" Summer couldn't help the offer. Children were a soft spot for her as a mother.

"… Really?" The boy asked as he glanced back Summer. No one had ever offered that to him before. All the adults ignored him or chased him away.

"Really." Summer said as she stood up, "I'm Summer Rose. What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" The boy said excitedly as he stood up as well.

Summer smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm, "Lead the way Naruto."

Naruto smiled as he started to walk with Summer beside him. From the shadows, the shinobi assigned to shadow Summer kept careful watch before he vanished. This had to be reported to the Hokage at once. Meanwhile, Summer enjoyed her walk with Naruto as she talked back and forth with him.

"So you're not a shinobi?" Naruto asked as they turned a corner.

"No. I'm more of a mercenary." Summer answered. Technically it was true; the only difference between a huntress and mercenary was the title. They both took jobs for money and would travel as far as needed.

Naruto hummed to himself before they arrived at the base of his apartment building, "I live at the top of here."

"Do you want me to walk you up?" Summer asked as she looked at the building. A small boy lived along here, in an apartment building? This raised a lot of questions about how the orphanage system in this city worked.

"That's okay. Thanks for walking me this far though. It was nice." Naruto said with a smile before he looked away at the ground with a frown.

Summer noticed the stare and felt her heart tug towards the boy she had just met, "Do you want to meet up tomorrow? I can tell you stories of where I'm from."

"Really?!" Naruto yelled as he looked up at Summer excited, "I have Academy classes tomorrow though… Can it be after that?"

"Of course. I'll wait for you outside when the class is over." Summer said with a smile as she watched Naruto cheer before he raced up the stairs of the apartment building. Making this boy smile eased her heart a bit. Considering she still needed a permit to leave and enter the village from the Third Hokage, this was a nice way to spend her days. She turned to head to the hotel the Hokage decided to provide for her until her travel visa was ready.

Meanwhile, a pair of ANBU watched Summer from a rooftop by order of the Hokage. If Naruto ever seemed like he was in danger, they would intervene as per order. The next day Summer, after spending most of her day looking at geological maps. Seeing as the first dust crystal she found was in a cave, it was the only lead she could think of. She would scout those caves another day, however. She had a promise to keep after all. After she received directions, Summer headed towards the shinobi academy.

Once there she waited at the gate as the students poured out of the door. Sure enough a few minutes later Naruto ran up to her, "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here. I said I would be waiting for you." Summer replied with a smile, "So where should we go?"

"Let's go to the Ichiraku Ramen stand! You can those stories of where you're from while we eat!" Naruto said as he took Summer's hand and pulled her along. Summer only giggled at Naruto's energy as the two head for the ramen stand.

Once there the two took a seat and were greeted by Teuchi and Ayame. "Welcome Naruto! Who's your friend?"

"Summer Rose. A pleasure to meet you, mister…" Summer said before she trailed off.

Teuchi smiled at the polite greeting, "Teuchi, and this is my daughter Ayame. So what can I get for you both?"

"Pork ramen!" Naruto said happily.

Summer looked a bit sheepish at this, "Um… I don't have any money right now. I'm just here because Naruto wanted to come here."

Teuchi hummed to himself for a moment before he looked between Summer and Naruto. He simply smiled, "No worries. The first time will be on the house for you."

"Really? In that case… beef ramen." Summer said before she turned to Naruto. There she saw Naruto staring at her weapons that were holstered to her thighs.

"What is that?" Naruto asked as he pointed at the one-half of the weapon he saw.

Summer hummed to herself before she answered, "They're my weapons. I made them myself."

"It's weird looking." Naruto replied.

"I suppose it is. Still, it does its job well. I use it to slay monsters." Summer said as she patted the weapon.

"Monsters?" Naruto asked with stars in his eyes. Summer proceeded to tell Naruto about the Grimm and how she and many others took up arms to protect their world from these monsters. She and Naruto had to take moments to pause and eat since the story went well into the meal. Once Summer finished, Naruto looked awe struck, "That's amazing! So… how did you wind up in Konoha?"

"A strange crystal brought me here. I have to find another one to return home." Summer answered before taking a sip of the ramen broth with her spoon. She was a well-mannered lady after all.

Naruto looked down heartened at this, "So… you're going to leave?"

"… Eventually. I have a family to go back too." Summer answered sadly when she saw Naruto's expression.

Naruto stared down at his empty ramen bowl before he asked, "Will you leave soon?"

"I don't know. Until I find another crystal, I more than likely can't return home." Summer answered honestly. With any luck, she wouldn't be here too long.

"… Can we still meet up like this? I don't have any friends to play with…" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.

" _Does he really not have any friends?"_ Summer thought to herself before she smiled, "I'll tell you what. If I'm in town, I'll wait for you outside the academy. However, if I'm not there then I'm most likely out of town."

Naruto looked overjoyed at this before he thought of something. "What if you find a crystal to take you home?" Naruto asked with a dejected look.

"If I do, I promise to see you one last time before I leave. Is that okay?" Summer asked. Naruto accepted this deal. At least he would have one friend even for a short while.

This started the friendship between Summer and Naruto. When she was in town, she would wait outside the gate for Naruto, who greeted her eagerly. The two would spend their time talking about either Summer's adventures of Remnant or Naruto's current school lesson. A couple weeks went by before Summer soon learned how Naruto didn't do well in his classes since he bragged about various pranks he would pull. This caused Summer's maternal nature to rise again, "You should focus on your lesson's Naruto. Learning is important."

Naruto looked at Summer for a moment before he huffed, "Why should I? No one helps me understand it anyway."

This struck a chord with Summer. Over the last couple weeks, she had noticed Naruto was treated differently from other children. Adults would glare at Naruto and ignore him, parents would scold their children for so much as being near him, and Naruto often avoided stores altogether aside from the ramen stand. Now they were affecting his education. This was something Summer would not let slide. However, first she needed to help Naruto, "Well then I'll tutor you. From now on, take down notes in your class and I'll help make sure you understand it when I get back."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but the sincere smile of Summer's stopped him. He just couldn't argue with her over this kind of thing for some reason, probably because she was always so nice to him. Naruto only sighed and agreed with a pout. Spending his free time going over school work was not something he would enjoy. Summer only chuckled at the pout before she patted Naruto on the head, "Come on, it's getting late. Let's get you home."

Naruto only pouted more as he followed Summer back to his apartment. Once there he said goodbye to her and headed inside. Meanwhile, Summer frowned when Naruto was gone. This village clearly held some kind of disdain for the boy, and she decided to find out what. The clearest course of action in her mind; talk to the Hokage.

Summer waited patiently outside of the Hokage's office as she waited to be called in. Soon enough the receptionist was told to let her pass, which Summer didn't even wait to be directly told when she heard. Once inside the office, she took a seat in the chair in front of the Third Hokage. The Third took a puff of his pipe before asking, "I assume you're here to ask about Naruto, correct?"

"Yes." Summer answered, not even surprised he knew. She felt she was being watched ever she had arrived in this village, so it was no surprise to her, "Why do the people here treat one orphaned boy in such a way?"

The Third took his pipe out of his mouth and set it on his desk, "The people of this village cannot let the past rest... While I know the reason behind their behavior, I made a law forbidding the discussion of the topic. One even I must follow. I have tried my best to protect Naruto from how the adults treat him; however, I cannot punish them for what they do. Despite how disgusting it is, they do not do Naruto any physical harm or break any laws. All I can do is provide what I can for his care and hope he pulls through. However…" The third paused to take another puff of his pipe, "He's grown rather fond of you in the short amount of time you've been here." Summer stayed silent, her stern expression never changing as the Third continued, "I know your stay in the village is temporary, but perhaps we can make an arrangement."

"What kind of arrangement?" Summer asked as she crossed her arms.

"You need a form of income and Naruto could certainly use better-living conditions. I could arrange for you both to share an apartment and pay you to act as his caretaker." The Third answered.

Summer hummed to herself for a moment as she pondered the statement, then she asked, "Are you sure this would be a good development for him? We don't know when I'll find my way home. True it may take months or even years at worst, but there is always the possibility it may only take a few days or weeks."

The Third saw Summer's point; moving Naruto into another apartment only for his caretaker to suddenly leave may do harm to his young psyche. "Then how about your current arrangement with Naruto? I'll provide you an income, and you ensure Naruto is well taught and looked after during your stay. If I were to directly intervene in the academy situation, no doubt Naruto would be seen as the favorite which would only make things worse."

This time it was Summer's turn to see the Third's point. Favoritism could lead to both an ego and disdain from his fellow classmates even more than he was given now. "Very well, I'll do what I can while I'm here. However, do remember there are days I won't be in the village."

"I know. We'll see how things develop before we cross that bridge." The Third said as he pulled out a couple forms from his desk, "Have to make this official. I'll have the paper work sent to you once I finish having it processed to sign. You may go."

Summer nodded and left the office. The conversation hadn't gone exactly as she wanted since she hadn't learned anything of why the people treat Naruto they way they do, but the arrangement was better than nothing.

 ** _Six months later:_**

Time passed much quicker than Summer had hoped it would. Six months and still no luck on finding even a lead to another Dust crystal. Still, she would not give up, she would find a way home. The only regret she would have when she leaves would be leaving Naruto behind. She could at least leave him well armed to take on this world. The last six months with Summer's tutelage greatly helped Naruto understand his future lessons since he had an understanding of the basics. This let Summer move from academics to another education that the teachers neglected to ensure Naruto knew; combat.

Summer and Naruto were standing in an empty training ground. To say Naruto was excited was an understatement. Over the six months, he looked more and more forward to his lessons with Summer simply for the fact she actually took the time to make sure he understood the lesson. His teachers at the academy would simply drop the subject and move onto another subject, leaving Naruto to fend for himself if he ever had any questions.

"Now Naruto, seeing as your grades are improving, I feel like we can move onto more physical learning. I'm going to teach you a proper way to fight." Summer said with a smile as she set down a bag she had carried with her. Naruto jumped in the air with joy at this, only to stop at the stern stare he received from Summer, "I understand you're excited Naruto, but I want to make sure you understand one thing. I'm teaching you this on the faith you will take my lessons to heart. You will not abuse this power for your own gain. If I ever find out you are or have done this, I will discipline you; severely."

Naruto gulped and nodded. He had seen that side of Summer only once before when one of his old teachers struck him on the head at the end of the day. To see Summer effortlessly pin the chunin to the floor in pain before he could blink made it clear that an angry Summer was a scary Summer. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now the first thing we will go over is basic form. Get into a fighting stance." Summer said. Naruto nodded to her and took what had to be one of the sloppiest fighting forms she had ever seen. Summer for a moment felt an urge to go back to the academy and hurt another teacher, but she didn't wish to give the Third more work. "Alright let's correct that. First, spread your feet more like this." Summer moved Naruto's footing into the proper place, correct his hand positions, and over all balance. "There are three principles to fighting; power, speed, and balance. The power to defeat your opponent, the speed to keep up or out maneuver your opponent, and the balance to not lose your footing or give your opponent an opening." Naruto nodded, still holding the fighting position. Summer proceeded to teach Naruto effective ways to combat his opponents. Basic ways to strike, block, and counter-attack an opponent in a one-on-one setting.

The hours passed rather quickly for the two. Sure enough, Naruto was panting as he wiped away the sweat he accumulated from his training as he sat on the ground. Summer was impressed with how quickly Naruto took to this lesson. He may struggle with academics, but when it came to physical lessons he seemed to pick them up in an instant. Of course, she still had to be sure, "Now Naruto, if you strike first what do you do?"

"Only attempt to strike with one hand and keep the other hand ready to block and escape a possible counterattack." Naruto recited from his memory.

"If your opponent is faster than you?" Summer questioned again as she picked up the bag from earlier. Her next lessons would have to wait until Naruto truly had a mastery of the basics.

"Take a defensive stance and let them come to me. Use their speed against them." Naruto answered.

"Stronger than you?" Summer added.

"Attempt to wear down the opponent by evading his attacks while conserving my own strength." Naruto answered as he stood up.

"Both faster and stronger?" Summer finished. This was the important one in her mind.

"Break the opponents focus and regroup to assess the situation." Naruto answered.

"Very good. You've earned some ramen today on me." Summer said with a smile. The energy Naruto had lost returned instantly at the mention of his favorite food. Ramen was more of a treat for him now since Summer would take the time to prepare proper meals when she could. Granted Naruto wouldn't complain since he still ate at the ramen stand when Summer was out of town.

This process repeated for the next month. Summer would slowly advance Naruto's hand to hand combat while Naruto would practice when Summer was away. At the end of the week, Summer would have Naruto spare with her to see how far he's come. It was at the end of the month when he managed to get a blow to her cheek that she knew he was ready. Of course, she had to get him to stop apologizing first…

"I'm sorry!" Naruto repeated for the third time as he bowed to Summer.

Summer only sighed before she picked up Naruto off the ground and set him on his feet, "I told you it's fine Naruto. I'm proud you've come such a long way in a short time. Besides, my aura blocked the hit anyway."

"… Aura?" Naruto asked with a quizzical look.

"Oh right. I never told you about Aura have I?" Summer asked before she put her finger to her cheek, "Aura is similar to chakra in the sense that it is a source of energy everyone has. It is the manifestation of one's soul in a protective shield around the user. Aura blocks any damage I would take from an attack. The harder the attack, however, the more aura is consumed. I have to be careful to make sure my aura doesn't run out during a fight, which is why I have armor as a precaution."

"That sounds cool." Naruto replied before he looked at his hands, "Do you think I have an Aura?"

Summer opened her mouth to answer but stopped. That was a good question. Could Naruto possibly have Aura, and if he did, would that mean she could learn how to use this chakra energy? "To be honest Naruto, I don't know. I've never thought about it before. It is entirely possible that you may have Aura and I may be able to use this chakra energy your people have."

"Really? How would I get Aura?" Naruto asked he dusted off his clothing.

"Hm… I could attempt to awaken it for you but… That might affect your chakra… Tell you what. Let me do a little research on this. I don't want to risk possibly hurt you trying." Summer said before she went over the bag, "Meanwhile… I believe it's time to begin teaching you my specialty. Swordplay." Summer pulled out two wooden board swords, holding one in each hand.

"You know how to use swords?!" Naruto asked in excitement as he looked at the swords.

Summer only smiled as she set down the swords. Suddenly she pulled out both her weapons and triggered the morph mechanism. Naruto watched as the pair of long-barrel revolvers fused into its zweihander form. She proceeded to show Naruto her skill with her blade, agilely spinning the blade around her body before she cleaved a nearby training post in two with no effort. Naruto could only stare slack jawed for a moment before his mind caught up, "That's amazing!"

Summer smiled proudly before she split the weapon apart and holstered the guns, "Everyone has weapons like this where I'm from. Mastering multiple roles of combat is common practice. For example, I mastered both sword and…" Summer pulled out one of the revolvers and fired a round into the remains of the training stump. A large hole was blasted into the stump from the round, which caused Naruto to jump in surprise at the loud noise, "and mid-range combat with guns."

Naruto blinked at the stump before he turned to her weapon, "That's… scary. Is that a gun?"

Summer froze as she realized what she had just done. Showing off her weapons was the one thing she tried to avoid. Guess she got a little carried away. The best she could do now is attempt to continue Naruto's education, "Yes, this is a gun and sword in one. A gun fires a projectile at very fast speeds, which tears through what it hits like it did that stump. It's a very dangerous weapon in the wrong hands."

"So… It would be better to not tell other people about it?" Naruto asked in a moment of rare insight.

Summer sighed as she holstered the weapon, "Yes that would be best. It will be our secret okay?"

"Okay!" Naruto promised with a chest pound.

Summer smiled and kicked a sword over to Naruto, "Good. Now then, time to learn how to use a sword."

 ** _Three years later:_**

Summer couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips as she waited for Naruto outside the academy per her usual routine. It had been so long since she arrived in this world. No doubt she had been declared dead by this point. This would lead to a lot of headaches if she manages to return home but she couldn't stop looking. She had to get home to her family. She often found herself thinking about them when she was alone.

The sound of children cheering got Summer's attention and snapped her out of her thoughts. She shook her head a bit and watched as children poured out of the academy to their parents. As she watched, she let out a yawn and rubbed her eye. Summer got an early start and rushed back to Konoha to make sure she was here on time for Naruto. Today was the day of the graduation exam. She had high hopes for Naruto but she knew one of the exams was the one jutsu Naruto struggled to use. When Naruto slowly walked out of the academy without the same headband as the rest of the kids, Summer knew he hadn't passed. "Naruto…"

"Please… just don't…" Naruto said as he stopped in front of her. All of that training and none of it mattered. He had grown very skilled with a sword and hand to hand combat under Summer's care but Iruka and Mizuki couldn't grade him on it. Since he couldn't perform the bunshin, he couldn't pass. Summer looked up and noticed a majority of the adults giving Naruto the stare of disdain. One Summer had to resist smacking off each of them.

"… Come on. Let's go." Summer said as she put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and led him away. Once they were away from the rest of the people Summer spoke again, "Don't let this get you down. There is always next time."

"It doesn't matter if there is a next time. No matter how much I try I just can't get the clone technique right!" Naruto complained in a yell of frustration.

Summer only looked at Naruto sadly, "I'm sorry… I wish I could help you with ninjutsu but..."

"It's not your fault." Naruto responded before the two started to walk in silence. A few moments later Summer let out another yawn which caused Naruto to look up at her, "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. I'm just a bit tired. I got up very early and rushed back to be here before your class ended today." Summer answered. Truth be told is that was only the part of the reason she rushed back. The other part was to stash away a gift she planned to give Naruto later. Something to commemorate how far Naruto's training has come and show how proud she is of him as a teacher.

"… Why do you head home and sleep. I don't really want to train today…" Naruto told her in honesty. He couldn't bring himself to want to train given his failure to graduate. Summer had done so much to help him with his Academy studies and he let her down.

Summer gave Naruto a look of sympathy, yet she did understand, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I think I'll take a walk then head home too." Naruto said

Summer held in another yawn before she replied, "Alright then… I'll see you at home." Summer stroked Naruto's head gently for a moment before she left for home. A couple years had passed since Summer's arrival, she figured it couldn't hurt at this point to share a home with Naruto. This made helping him with any studies easier and helped her ensure he was eating properly.

Naruto meanwhile went to find a place of solitude to sulk. He eventually found himself on a roof away from everyone where he watched the people of the village. Why couldn't he master one simple jutsu? "I let her down…"

"I'm sure she doesn't think that." A familiar voice said from behind Naruto. Naruto turned around to see one of his Academy teacher's Mizuki. "I'm sure she proud of your effort." Naruto simply turned away from Mizuki and proceeded to ignore him. At least until Mizuki mentioned a something, "I probably shouldn't tell you this but I can see you're pretty down about this whole thing. So I'll tell you the secret way to graduate that will make Summer proud."

This got Naruto's attention as he immediately turned around and hopped to his feet, "Really?!"

"Yeah. What you need to do is…" Mizuki started to say while he hid the sinister grin he wanted to show.

 ** _Summer's and Naruto's apartment:_ _That evening_**

Summer groaned as she woke up to the sound of someone banging on her apartment door. "I'm coming. I'm coming." Summer yelled over the noise as the person started to bang again. She opened the door with a yawn, "Yes?"

"Summer, have you seen Naruto at all?" Iruka asked urgently.

Iruka's tone of voice woke Summer up, "Not since the Academy ended for the day. What happened?!" She asked, now fully awake.

"Naruto broke into the Hokage's vault and stole the forbidden scroll! Every chunin and above in the village is looking for him!" Iruka explained before he let out a sigh, "All of this because I failed him…"

"Feel bad later!" Summer yelled before she ran back inside for a moment to fetch her weapons. She knew she didn't need them for Naruto. No something else was at play here, "We find Naruto first. He's not dumb enough to steal a scroll simply to do it."

"What do you mean?" Iruka asked confused as Summer came back outside.

Summer shut the door and made sure it was locked before she answered, "I mean someone had to put him up to this. We both know Naruto wouldn't do something like this of his own accord. I taught him better than that. We'd better find him first and figure out what's going on. He's most likely in the forest near the training grounds. Let's go!" Summer yelled as she leaped off the walkway of her apartment building onto a nearby rooftop. She may not be a shinobi but she could still get around just as well.

Iruka followed suit before he eventually moved on ahead to try and beat the other shinobi on the search. Summer made it to the forest a short while later just in time to hear Iruka yell, "Naruto get down!" This was followed by a yell of pain.

This only made Summer push her body to run faster as her fear came to fruition. Naruto was in danger. Summer arrived just in time to see Iruka shield Naruto from a giant shuriken. Naruto was holding a broken wooden sword in one hand and Mizuki spinning another giant shuriken ready to attack. Summer didn't hesitate as she whips out one of her revolvers and shoots the shuriken out of Mizuki's hand. Everyone else jumps at the sudden noise as the shuriken is shattered by the bullet. Everyone turned to Summer, who's normally gentle gaze was replaced by a hardened stare. She continued to point her gun at Mizuki, "Don't move you bastard. You so much as twitch and I'll blast out your insides."

"You think you can—" Mizuki started to say only to scream in agony as his hand was blown apart by another round from Summer. The pain caused Mizuki to lose focus and fall to the ground as he held the stub at the end of his arm in pain.

"I told you not to move. Naruto, make sure Iruka is alright." Summer ordered as she held Mizuki at gunpoint. At first Naruto did nothing, still in shock over what had happened which caused Summer to yell again, "Naruto!"

Naruto snapped out of his shock and nodded, "Right!" Naruto moved out from under Iruka and grabbed the shuriken, "One… two…" Naruto counted only to yank out the shuriken at two. Iruka grunted in pain but bore it. His chunin vest thankfully blocked most of the shuriken blade and prevented the cut from being very deep. With the shuriken out Iruka could relax a bit as Naruto went to try and get the vest off.

Mizuki was not happy about this situation. Not only was his plan ruined, but now he was going to be out matched by a simple woman and her demon brat. At this rate, he would be captured and arrested, then interrogated by Ibiki. That was not a pleasant option. Better to be killed. The moment Summer glanced at Naruto was opening Mizuki needed. The last resort he prepared. He used his free hand to open one pouch on his vest and pull out a paper bomb. He activated it before he spoke, "I'll take you all to hell with me!"

Everyone reacted immediately. Summer sword and charged over to Naruto and Iruka, intending to try and shield them from the blast. Iruka grabbed Naruto and pulled him down to the ground. Naruto meanwhile formed a hand sign, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Summer and Iruka were surprised as a wall of hundreds of Naruto clones appeared in front of them. Mizuki's laughter could be heard as his tag explode, chain detonating the ones on the inside of his vest as well.

Once the smoke from the explosion and clones cleared, the three stared at the small crater that was left. "He would rather die than face the consequence of his actions…" Summer said as she unintentionally spoke what everyone thought.

"Yeah… I'll make sure to report this to the Hokage. However, something else needs to be taken care of first." Iruka said before he turned to Naruto, "Close your eyes." Naruto looked up at Summer who shrugged. She didn't know what Iruka was going to do either. Naruto closed his eyes and once he did, Iruka took his headband off. Summer realized what Iruka intended and took off Naruto's goggles for Iruka. Iruka tied his headband around Naruto's head. When Naruto felt the headband on his head, he opened his eyes to see a smiling Summer and Iruka, "Congratulations Naruto, you graduate!"

Naruto immediately felt the headband he was wearing and smiled before he hugged Summer and Iruka. After Summer and Naruto helped Iruka back to town, they all explained to the Hokage the events that transpired. The Hokage sanctioned Naruto's graduation with a smile, glad that he was both able to save the life of Iruka and Summer with the use of an A-rank jutsu. After he had Iruka escorted to the hospital to have his wounds treated, Naruto raised a question, "Hey gramps?"

"Yes Naruto? If it's about the scroll, I forgive you. You fell prey to Mizuki's scheme." The third spoke in assumption.

"It's not that… Mizuki told me something before Summer arrived. He told me that… the Kyuubi was sealed away inside of me." A silence fell over the room as no one knew what to say at that moment. Summer had read the history of the attack of the Kyuubi and didn't want to dodge the issue for the Hokage. The guards in the room refuse to speak, both out of the law and knowing it wasn't their place.

Sarutobi sighed before he waved his hand, which signaled the guards to leave. Once they were gone, the Third spoke again, "I was worried when this day would come… To answer you Naruto, yes. The nine tails is sealed away inside of you." The look on Naruto's face became one of absolute despair as Sarutobi continued, "You are not the Kyuubi itself Naruto. You are its jailer. You are the very reason our village is safe." Sarutobi wasn't sure if his words were reaching Naruto based on the stare he was giving the floor.

" _That's why… that's why everyone…"_ Naruto thought to himself as all the memories of how the other villages treated him. The stares, being thrown out of stores, the adults telling their kids to avoid him… all because he was a monster.

Naruto's trail of thought was broken as he felt Summer's arms pull him into a gentle hug, "Don't you dare think bad things about yourself." She gently held him close and stroked his head, "You're not some demon or some jailer. You are Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi, and my student. Nothing can or will change that." Naruto said nothing in response to this. At first, Summer was worried about Naruto's mental health, but Naruto soon returned the hug. Summer smiled gently as she felt Naruto's tears stain her clothing. Those words meant everything to him. The Third only smiled and stepped away from the scene. This moment was not one for him to share in. Soon enough Naruto fell asleep in Summer's arms, exhausted from the day he had. Summer simply carried him home. Her surprise could wait until the morning.

The next morning, Naruto woke up to the smell of breakfast being made. He came out of his room to see Summer cooking as she hummed a tune. Naruto made his way to the table and when he took a seat, he spotted a long slim box in front of him, "Um…"

"Good morning Naruto. Don't open that box until I'm done! No peaking either." Summer said as started to set food onto the plates. Naruto moved to peek into the box only to retract his hand when Summer smacked it with a spatula, "I said no peeking! Now enjoy your breakfast."

"O… ok." Naruto said before he dug into his food, a simple breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, and juice. Summer joined him as she sat at the opposite end of the table. She continued to hum a happy tune as she ate, which only made things more awkward for Naruto. Given everything that had happened last night, Naruto figured even Summer wouldn't be this cheerful.

"So are you looking forward to your first day as a shinobi?" Summer asked to break the silence. Naruto nodded as he ate. He couldn't speak at the moment since his mouth was full of food. Summer only smiled and finished her meal. Once the meal was finished, the two cleaned up and returned to the table where Naruto stared at the box intently. "Now that we've had a good breakfast, I can tell you about the box. It's the reason my trips have been taking so long lately." Summer said as she folded her hands together and rested her head on them, "It's been almost four years since we've met. At first, when I started to teach you, I only intended to help you catch up with the other kids your age. However, as the days went by and I saw more and more of that heart of yours, I decided that I would take the time to teach you everything I could and get you something when I felt I could teach you no more. More specifically, make you something. Open the box."

Naruto blinked before he slowly opened the box and gasped. Inside was a single orange and black sword with three clips of ammo, a back sheath, and belt to hold the weapon and ammo. Naruto lifted the weapon carefully and looked over it as Summer explained, "It's called a gun blade that I've named Maelstrom. When I made it I kept your ninjutsu in mind which is why it's a joint one-handed wide single-edged blade modeled after a straight saber. The hilt is long enough for both hands if you need some extra swing strength. In blade form the barrel for the firearm is short, so it is only really effective at close range in blade form. You see that ring at the top of the hilt? Pull it down with your finger while holding the hilt."

Naruto looked at said ring before he followed Summer's instructions. The hilt pivoted forward and locked into place as the blade slide back into a blade guard to become the stock for the gun. Two pieces of metal extended as they flipped around and joined together to form an extended barrel for the firearm that also blocked the edge of the blade. "Whoa…" Naruto said as he stared at the weapon.

"The gun is a semi-auto single shot hand gun. The clips have fifteen rounds each and load into the hilt and cocks by pulling the top of the gun back. It will also automatically cock if the chamber is empty when you switch between weapon modes. A neat trick to not have to cock the gun every time is to keep track of the amount of bullets you fire. When you hit fourteen rounds fired, switch the clip out since the last bullet will still be in the gun chamber." Summer explained, "That said, I have to hand make all the ammo so don't get trigger happy. Until I can show you how to do it yourself, you'll be out of luck if you run out of bullets and I'm not around." Naruto stared at the weapon in complete awe. Summer was entrusting him with a very powerful weapon, one that could do horrible things in the wrong hands. He would have to be very careful with it and moreover, respect it. Summer could already tell she had made Naruto's day, "Ammo is not easy to make. It took me almost a year just to have all of this ready for you. So use it very carefully."

"I… I don't know what to say. This is amazing!" Naruto said before he set the weapon back down gently into the box. He hopped to his feet and ran around to the table where he hugged Summer tightly.

"Now you know why I've been having you work on your aim. Granted we're going to have a lot of training after this so you can get a handle on the firearm part of your new weapon, so try not to even have to use it." Summer said as she rubbed the top of Naruto's head

Naruto simply continued to hug Summer as he said, "I'm so glad you talked to me that day four years ago… Auntie."

Summer was surprised by the title but only smiled in response, "So am I Naruto. So am I." Summer replied as the two enjoyed their moment.

 ** _Back on the airship:_**

Both Summer and Naruto were jolted out of their memories as the aircraft shifted to land. Once settled on the ground, the two exited the aircraft where they were greeted by the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee, "Once again I'd like to thank you on behave of the Schnee Dust company and Schnee name for what you have done. If not for you, little doubt the assassination attempt on my life would have succeeded."

"You're welcome, though we really only did the right thing." Naruto replied with his arms folded behind his head, "Thank you for the ride to Patch!"

"It was the least I could do. Are you sure there is nothing else you both need? A single airship ride doesn't seem like enough." Weiss said. In her mind, it really wasn't enough to cover what Naruto and Summer had done. They both skillfully stopped an assassination attempt by the White Fang in the middle of her performance at a theater. In fact if not for the fight Naruto had with one sharpshooter in the rafters causing it to come down behind Weiss, she most likely would have never known about her saviors.

"This is enough. You've helped us both far more than you know." Summer replied with her usual gentle smile.

Weiss nodded before she pulled a card out of her pocket, "Hm… very well then. However, should you feel you need something else, or are looking for work, please use this contact information. The Schnee dust company is always willing to employ skilled huntresses and hunters."

"Thanks." Naruto said as he took the card before Summer could decline it. Having a backup plan was never a bad idea after all.

"It's the least I can do. Now then, I believe we all have different business to attend to. Farewell." Weiss said in a formal manner before she returned to the airship with her escorts.

Summer and Naruto watched Weiss leave for a moment before they exited the sky port as well. Summer enjoyed the nostalgia of Patch while Naruto looked around the city in awe, "This is way different from Konoha."

"That it is… I miss the trees of the village, to be honest." Summer said with a bit of sadness. Most cities she had been too had parks and small trees as decoration but it wasn't the same feeling. The only places to truly enjoy nature in Remnant meant the risk of Grimm attacks. It was easy to see which of the two she preferred.

"Yeah. Still, it's a nice town." Naruto replied as he rubbed under his nose with a cheeky grin, "I sure was surprised when Grandma Tsunade said I should go with you. With everything that happened, you would think they would want me to help with the reconstruction. But at the same time, I really want to meet your family and world Auntie!"

Summer remembered the event in question, and it was one she was still suspicious of. Tsunade, who managed to avoid too much damage during the attack thanks to Summer's intervening during the battle, was far too willing and encouraging of Naruto joining Summer on her return home. Still, she didn't speak against it after seeing Naruto's excitement and joy. It would be a bridge she would cross when and if it came around. For now, she had to focus on the task at hand.

"So where do we go from here Auntie?" Naruto added.

"This way." Summer said as they walked down the streets of Patch with Summer taking the time to look around. Not too much had changed in the last seven years it seemed. This helped Summer relax a bit as they walked through the city. It wasn't until a bit of time had passed that Summer spoke again, "My heart won't stop pounding…"

"It'll be alright!" Naruto encouraged, "They'll probably all be speechless when you arrive and won't know what to say."

" _That's what I'm afraid of…"_ Summer thought to herself as the two headed to Summer's home. It was a good walk away from the sky port, which gave Summer time to gather her thoughts. Naruto on the other hand simply continued to look around in awe. For one, the lack of nature in the city made him feel a bit awkward. Being raised in a village called "Village hidden in the leaves", one gets used to at least some large trees being a part of the city, not just scenery. Naruto was so taken in by the sights he didn't notice Summer stopped walking until he bumped into her.

Summer couldn't help but stare at the building in the distance. Signal Academy, where her husband worked to train the minds and bodies of young would be hunters and huntresses. Odds were, that's where she could find him, and most likely would have to head there. However, first she wanted to check her home. Then she felt someone bump into her and snap her out of her thoughts. "Sorry." Naruto said with his usual grin. Summer couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. At least one of them was enjoying himself.

Summer and Naruto resumed their trek towards Summer's home. Once it was in sight, Summer couldn't hold herself back as she suddenly broke into a sprint. Naruto was caught off guard by the sudden change of pace and raced to keep up with Summer. The moment she arrived at the door, Summer pulled out the key to her home. She had refused to ever take it off her person back in Konoha on the off chance she wound up back in Remnant on accident. She slid the key into the lock, turned, and smiled at the click of the latch sliding out of the door. They never changed the locks.

She opened the door slowly and stepped inside, "Hello?" No answer. It seemed everyone was out of the house at the moment. This made Summer both relieved and tense at the same time. Seeing as she had some time, she slowly looked around throughout the house. The pictures of the events she missed framed on the walls. One picture in particular made her stop; a picture of her family together.

Naruto walked up behind Summer and looked at the picture, "This your family?"

"Yeah. This is my husband Taiyang." Summer said as she pointed to the muscular blonde man with tan skin in the family picture. She moved her finger over to the lady with a lot of blonde hair and a very noticeable bust, "This is Yang, technically my step-daughter but I've always treated her as one of my own. And this…" Summer said as she pointed to the girl that looked like a miniature version of Summer, "Is Ruby, my daughter. They've both grown so much…"

"Ruby looks just like you." Naruto commented as he looked at the picture. However, before either of them could continue their conversation a dog was heard barking behind them. Both turned around to see none other than Zwei standing behind them. Zwei simply looked at the two with what seemed to be a joyful expression.

"They got a dog." Summer said to state the obvious. She didn't mind the animal and was resisting every urge to cuddle the corgi.

Naruto, on the other hand, didn't know what to make of the situation, "Uh… hey there… boy? You… know where Auntie Summer's family is?" Zwei barked in response before he ran for the front door. There he stopped and waited for the two. Naruto blinked in confusion before he asked, "So… do we follow it?" Summer stared at Zwei for a moment, who simply stared back as he panted. Without a word, she headed for Zwei, who barked again and exited the house. "Wait for me!" Naruto cried out as he followed after Summer and Zwei. Summer shut and relocked the door after Naruto exited the building before she and Naruto followed Zwei towards Signal Academy.

The dog led them through the main hall, occasionally he stopped to check and see if Summer and Naruto were still following him. Zwei eventually lead them to one of the classrooms, where he jumped up and bit the door handle to pull it down. The door slowly opened with Zwei still on it before he dropped down and ran into the classroom. A man sitting at a desk turned to Zwei in surprise, "Zwei? Did you let yourself out again?"

Summer froze right outside the doorframe at the sound of the voice. The voice of her husband, the one she hadn't seen in seven years, Taiyang. Her heart started to pound. What would she say? How would he react? Would he take her back? Had he moved on? All of these questions flooded her mind as she stood there. These thoughts paralyzed her with fear of what would happen.

Naruto witnessed Summer's start of a breakdown and frowned. He simply walked up beside her and placed a hand on Summer's shoulder and gave a squeeze. Summer snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Naruto, who only gave reassuring smile. Summer smiled back and mouthed, "Thank you" before she took a deep breath and walked into the classroom.

Taiyang heard the sound of heels hitting the floor of his classroom and looked up from Zwei, "Yes can I… help…" He froze as he saw who was standing in the doorway of his classroom. Summer Rose stood in front of him. His wife had returned, after missing for seven years. In his mind he attempted to deny it, to pretend he was just hallucinating and that this was just some strange nightmare.

However, all his mental defenses were shattered when he heard Summer quietly say his name, "Tai…" Summer couldn't stop herself as she ran down the staircase to the arms of Tai. She hugged him tightly and gripped the back of his shirt, afraid he would disappear if she had let go, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" She said as she started to cry.

"Summer… Where have… why…?" Taiyang tried to ask, but there were simply too many questions trying to escape his mouth at once. Summer tried to respond, but she had slowly descended into a woman sobbing incoherent sentences. Taiyang could feel how upset Summer was and gently wrapped his arms around her with one hand stroking the back of her head, "It's okay Summer. You're back… That's all that matters right now. You're finally back." Taiyang stated as he too started to cry. The two adults stood in place and let their tears fall freely for, after seven long years, they had finally managed to reunite.

Naruto stood in the doorframe with a smile at the scene. He was genially happy to see Summer finally return home to her family. Naruto turned to leave and give the two some privacy when Zwei started to bark at him. Naruto simply shushed the dog, which seemed to understand and decided to follow Naruto out of the classroom.

"Summer… Where have you been all this time?" Taiyang finally asked after he and Summer had time to calm down.

"That…" Summer started before she sniffled and rubbed the tears out of her eyes, "Is a very long story, Tai." Summer decided to give Taiyang the summarized version of her journey, leaving out the details for when she had to tell Yang and Ruby where she has been as well. By the time she finished her tale a couple hours had passed.

"Summer that's… quite a tale." Taiyang said honestly. He wasn't sure if he could believe her or not since almost everything she had said couldn't be possible… could it?

"I know… I didn't believe it myself at first but after so long it became the only truth possible. I spent seven years trying to find a way back, and Naruto came with me when I finally did. " Summer said as she watched her husband carefully.

Taiyang only hugged his wife close again, "Well then I can't wait to meet the person who helped return my wife to me." Taiyang paused and looked around the classroom, "Speaking of that Naruto kid, where is he?"

"Hm?" Summer looked towards the door only to see no one there, "He must have left us alone and wandered off. He shouldn't have gotten too far."

Before either could suggest where to search for the missing blonde, Zwei came running back into the classroom. Sure enough, Naruto came skidding to a stop in the door frame, "Sorry, I tried to leave you two alone but that dog is slippery…"

"It's alright. Zwei will decide not to listen on occasion. So you're Naruto." Taiyang said as he walked up to the boy. Naruto gulped nervously as he felt Taiyang size him up. Considering Taiyang was a rather well-built man who looked like he had seen his fair share of battles, and he was Summer's husband, Naruto was really hoping Taiyang didn't want to fight. Taiyang stared at Naruto for a moment before he smiled and patted Naruto on the head, "My wife sure knows how to pick them! I can see the spirit in your eyes!"

"Uh, thanks. I guess." Naruto said as he was patted. Once Taiyang stopped, Naruto asked, "So, everything is alright now?"

"Yes, Naruto. Everything is alright now. Thank you for letting us have some privacy." Summer said as she stood from the chair she was using, "Now we just need to find Yang and Ruby. Hopefully, they'll take this as well as you have Tai."

"They'll be overjoyed to see you again Summer. I know it." Taiyang said before Naruto watched Taiyang pull out a strange rectangular device from his pocket, "I'll get us a flight to Vale. Meet me at the sky port! Come on Zwei."

The dog barked in response before he followed his master. Naruto watched the man leave before he turned back to Summer, "He's taking all of this rather well."

"We had plenty of time to talk. Thank you again, Naruto. Sorry for leaving you high and dry for the last couple hours." Summer apologized as the two left the classroom.

Naruto simply shrugged, "I figured this would happen when you found them again. I just hung out with Zwei. Taiyang is nicer than he looks though."

"He's a big sweetheart despite how he looks. Come on, we should beat him there so he doesn't have to wait." Summer said as she led Naruto back to the sky port.

Two arrived and waited for only a few minutes before Taiyang arrived with a set of passes. He handed one to Summer and Naruto, "I've tried calling the girls but they didn't answer. Yang is probably driving and knowing Ruby… reading a weapon magazine with headphones on."

"Yang can drive and Ruby is into weapons now?" Summer asked before the three headed for the air ship they would use for travel.

Naruto simply stayed quiet since he didn't really understand how most of the technology in the world worked. He was curious but felt his curiosity could wait until the Summer's reunion was settled. Summer noticed Naruto's unusual silence as the aircraft took off, "Naruto, what's wrong?"

"Hm? Nothing is wrong. I… just have no clue what you both are talking about." Naruto said with his usual sheepish grin.

"Oh that's right, I never got to show you how a scroll works since mine lost power years ago. Tai, may I borrow yours?" Summer asked. Taiyang put the scroll in Summer's hand without hesitation, who then moved it over to Naruto, "This is a scroll, a device that just about everyone on Remnant has. It can be used to monitor team aura levels, contact other people across the globe so long as it has signal, and has a variety of other uses."

"That's cool!" Naruto said as he looked at the scroll, "Can I get one of these you think?"

"I don't see why not. We'll look into that after we finished the task at hand, okay?" Summer said as she handed her husband back his scroll.

"It will have to wait until we get Summer's death status revoked though. It might take a couple days since people labeled as dead returning is uncommon. Not unheard of, but uncommon." Taiyang said before he slapped his forehead, "We forgot to tell Qrow!"

"I'm sure he'll understand when we tell him we went to get the girls first." Summer said calmly. She did want to see Qrow again as well but her children came first.

"Qrow? Auntie, wasn't he the scythe guy?" Naruto asked as he remembered the stories Summer had told him.

Summer nodded with a smile, "Yes, he is considered the best scythe user in Vale by most, also considered very odd since a scythe isn't the most orthodox weapon."

"Speaking of scythes… Qrow took Ruby under his wing while she attends Signal. She's turned into quite the scythe user as well." Taiyang added. He figured it couldn't hurt to tell bits of what Summer has missed if only to help her catch up on the seven years she was gone.

"So she's becoming a huntress…" Summer said quietly. On one hand, she felt pride that her daughter had decided to follow in her footsteps. On another, she wasn't happy with the idea of said daughter risking her life on what seemed to be an endless battle for life. Still… not like she could scold her for it now. Seven years missing and two of them Ruby would have already been well into her education as a huntress.

Taiyang stayed quiet for a moment before he crossed his arms with a slight sigh, "She really wanted to follow in your footsteps. That and all the fairy tales Yang and I told her growing up probably influenced her. She's going to be speechless when she hears what happened to you. Yang will too for a bit… then probably make a pun to break the atmosphere."

"Say, what are Ruby and Yang like?" Naruto asked out of pure curiosity.

"Well…" Taiyang started as he crossed his arms, "Ruby is a carefree and sweet girl. Very pure for her age, especially considering the world we live. Though she does have an odd obsession with weapons and can get a little too enthusiastic to face off against a Grimm. Yang is a thrill seeker. She usually goes with the flow and that has put her at odds with her classes at times but not too much. She takes after me with fist fighting, using a pair of gun-gauntlets while Ruby uses a sniper scythe. What about you Naruto? Summer only gave me the vague version to save time."

Naruto was caught off guard by the question. The only people to ever ask about him was Summer a few times as they met up and Kakashi when Naruto was assigned to his squad. Naruto paused for a moment before he rubbed the back of his head with a smile, "Well, my hobbies are training, by myself or with Auntie usually, eating ramen and occasionally sneaking off to get some…" Naruto was interrupted by a light bop to his head from Summer who looked a bit annoyed by that statement, "I really like ramen, what can I say?" Naruto admitted with a chuckle, getting a laugh out of Taiyang before he continued, "I train to get stronger and fight to protect the people precious to me. That's it really."

"You're pretty simple kid. I can respect that." Taiyang replied with his own smile. Naruto wasn't a bad person so far.

 ** _Outside the Vale airport:_**

"Alright, we have a lot of ground to cover. Thankfully it's getting late so some places are closing shop for the night…" Taiyang said as they exited the port.

Summer took a deep breath as she held her arm nervously under her cloak. She would soon be reunited with her children again. She hoped this would go smoothly, that they would simply hug and cry and spend time catching up. She hoped…

"I can cover half the city with my shadow clones." Naruto stated in a matter of fact tone as he waited for approval.

"… Only make nine, and disguise them as well. We don't want people to panic when they see ten of the same person running around." Summer instructed, "Also don't approach the girls with a clone, just in case something happens."

Naruto nodded while Taiyang looked confused, "Um…" He started only to jump a bit in surprise when Naruto made nine more of himself poof into existence. All the extras then turned into other people and leaped onto the rooftops, scattering throughout the city. Taiyang only watched slack jawed as Naruto gave a salute before joining his clones on the hunt. Once they were all gone Taiyang spoke, "What… just happened?"

Summer only giggled at her husband's confusion, "That is one of the techniques from Naruto's world. It would take a while to explain how it works, but in a nutshell, it lets Naruto make physical copies of himself. Any knowledge the clones learn is transferred back to Naruto when they dispel, which can be done by the clone itself or a solid hit. Also, they're not related to semblance."

"That's… really something. Can they use aura too?" Taiyang asked with his curiosity peaked. The two started to walk and headed into the part of the city the Naruto army didn't scatter too.

"You're assuming he has an aura." Summer said, holding in the laughter as Taiyang looked surprised. A moment later she explained, "I'm kidding. Naruto can use aura. Actually, he is the only person in Konoha that learned how to use it." Taiyang looked surprised at this claim as Summer continued, "I think it was because when I was teaching him hand to hand combat and sword play I would use aura to stop any damage. I think that is what sparked his aura. His aura awoke on a dangerous mission with his squad."

"Wait, you didn't awaken it for him during his training?" Taiyang asked.

Summer shrugged as she explained, "I didn't know his people were capable of aura. When I spoke to his village leader, they had never heard of aura, Grimm, or dust. Imagine my confusion back then. I learned that Naruto's people had a different power called chakra. One that I have also learned to use." Summer said with a smile as she continued, "Chakra can do amazing things. It's… almost like dust inside the body. It can enhance your physical capabilities, allow you to create and manipulate elements, and even heal wounds."

"That is amazing… How long did it take you to learn how to use it?" Taiyang asked as he and his wife walked the streets.

Summer put a finger to her chin in thought, "Well I didn't try to learn until after we discovered Naruto could use aura. After that, I had to go through the basic steps for training which involved a lot of meditation. It took a few months before I was even able to channel chakra through my body."

"Huh." Taiyang said as he cupped his chin, "So what does it feel like to have chakra?"

"It feels like… a warm fire spreading throughout your body. A powerful energy that makes you think you can take on anything when you first feel it… but it has its downsides. For one, if you use too much chakra, it can cause you to become fatigued and even kill you if not careful." Summer explained, "I have a moderate amount of chakra myself, so I can use it in combat for some time."

"Just what exactly did you mean when you said to "create and manipulate elements"?" Taiyang asked as he and Summer rounded a street corner.

"That is another explanation all its own." Summer said before she dived into yet another explanation.

Meanwhile, with Naruto, he was going from rooftop to rooftop trying to find one of the two girls. He was glad he had seen a picture of them back at Summer's home so he had an idea of what to look for. A large amount of blonde hair or a red cloak was his target. "Hm?" Naruto stopped on a roof as he spotted the tail end of a red cloak enter a shop called "From Dust Till Dawn". Was that one of the girls?

Naruto hopped down from the roof and sprinted over to the shop. He walked in the shop and a looked for the red cloak but saw no sign of it. The shop keep waved at Naruto as he stepped up the counter, "Can I help you, young man?"

"Uh yeah. Have you seen a girl with a lot of blonde hair close to my hair color or a smaller girl with a red cloak come in here?" Naruto asked as he looked around the shop. Crystals in the glass case, large containers of powder on the wall, and shelves lined with various containers and bags of inventory. So this was a dust shop.

"Well I haven't seen a blonde girl, but one with a red cloak just walked in. She's behind those shelves checking out the weapon magazines." The shop keeper said as he pointed to the back wall of the store.

Naruto gave thanks to the elderly shop keeper before he walked over to the back of the shop. As he got close to the magazine rack he heard… music? Sure enough, when he rounded the shelf corner he saw a figure wearing a large red cloak standing at the wall. "Ruby Rose?" Naruto called out, only to receive no response. He walked up and tapped the person on the shoulder, causing the person to turn around.

When Ruby looked up to where Naruto could get a good look at her face, Naruto knew he had found the right person. Still, he had to make sure, "You're Ruby Rose right?" Naruto didn't pay attention to the ringing of the bell signaling other people had entered the store.

Ruby looked at the strange boy who approached her before she realized he was trying to speak to her. She set the magazine down before pulling off her hood and lowering the headphones to where they rested around her neck, the music still blaring, "I'm sorry I couldn't hear you. What did you say?"

Naruto felt the proverbial sweat drop roll down the back of his head, _"Well yeah you wouldn't hear anything with music that loud…"_ "I asked if you're Ruby Rose?" Naruto stated.

"Yeah… that's me. Do I… know you?" She asked a bit nervous. The boy in front of her didn't ring any bells, and she was sure she would remember a boy that could almost pass as Yang's twin.

Naruto only smiled as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well not really. I'm here because of your…

"Hey kids, put your hands in the air!" A voice called from behind Naruto. Naruto stepped to the side so he and Ruby could see the person commanding them. There stood a man in a suit with red glasses and a black fedora holding a red curved sword that he had pointed at them as he approached.

"Are you… robbing us?" Ruby asked the man

The man easily became annoyed at the question, "What does it look like I'm doing?!"

Ruby looked to Naruto, who returned the look with a smile and wink. Ruby caught the signal and turned to the robber, "Ohhhh." She said as her eyes narrowed. The henchman made the mistake of taking this as a sign of acceptance and approached the two. He was then met with a swift kick to the gut from both teens which sent him flying into the wall.

"Shall we?" Naruto asked just before a second henchman appeared around the shelf corner. Ruby only smirked as she followed Naruto, who shoulder charged the henchman through the shop window. Four other henchmen, one being the man kicked into the wall, peered out the window along with a man in a white suit and bowler hat who was smoking a cigar, known as Roman Torchwick.

Naruto climbed off the unconscious henchman to his feet and turned to see Ruby's weapon, Crescent Rose, unfold into its scythe form. Naruto went slightly slack jawed as Ruby only smiled before she skillfully twirled the weapon and pulled off her headphones. Stabbing the blade of the weapon into the ground through the street, she turned off the headphones. "I really need to avoid getting hit by that…" Naruto thought before he pulled out Maelstrom and took his stance with his free hand in front and the blade behind him.

"Okaaaay." The man in the white suit spoke. He looked at his henchmen, who were still simply watching, and nodded to the door, "Get'em." The henchmen all glanced at their boss before rushing out the door at the two teens.

"Two each?" Naruto asked. He received a nod from Ruby before the two split up to dodge a sword swing from one of the henchmen. Ruby dispatched the first one by leaping up and balancing herself in the air using her scythe before spinning herself around to deliver a full powered double foot kick to the man's face. Continuing her moment, Ruby launched herself a bit further down the street to deal with the second man.

Naruto dodged the first swing as well as Ruby kick range with ease as another henchman ran at him. Naruto blocked the oncoming sword with Maelstrom and a smirk. Naruto spun on his heel, letting the swing go through. The henchman stumbled forward from the sudden lack of resistance only to feel a sharp blow to the back of his head from Maelstrom's hilt. Naruto grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and spun him around low to the ground, knocking out the legs of the second approaching henchman. With another quick spin, Naruto used the henchman he was holding as a bat to knock the second henchman into the air, letting go of his human weapon in the process. The two henchman flew into a third one Ruby had knocked into the air via a sniper shot enhanced uppercut.

Naruto and Ruby rejoined together across from the shop as the three henchmen landed together next to Roman. Roman looked down at his henchmen disappointed, "You were worth every cent, truly you were." He took a couple steps forward and took the cigar out of his mouth, "Well Red, Orange. I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening." He finished as he dropped his cigar to the ground. He crushed the burning end of the cigar with his cane as he continued, "And as much as I would love to stick around…"

Naruto got an uneasy feeling and pulled the morph trigger on Maelstrom, switching it to gun mode behind his back as Roman pointed the bottom of his cane at the two, "I'm afraid this… is where we part ways." The bottom of Roman's cane came up, causing Naruto to raise his gun in response. "Cute toy, but it won't help." Roman said as he fired an explosive round from his cane.

Naruto responded in kind by shooting the explosive round out of the air. He and Ruby shielded their eyes from the flash and heat of the explosion only to find Roman was gone. The pair ran up to where Roman had been standing and looked around in confusion. Ruby spotted Roman already two-thirds the way up a ladder to a roof down the road, "Over there!" She said to clue in her temporary crime fighting partner. The elderly shop keep seemed to limp up to the door to check on the commotion. Ruby looked at the shop keep and asked, "You okay if we go after him?"

The elder gave an "uh huh" which let Ruby take off after the crook with Naruto hot on her heels. Naruto watched as Ruby suddenly propelled herself up to the rooftop with her sniper scythe, "… I've gotta see about getting one of those!" He said quietly to himself before simply leaping to the top of the building. The two corned Roman at the edge of the rooftop… or so they thought.

A Bullhead suddenly flew up from the street below and stopped in front of Roman as it shined a bright spotlight on the two. Roman climbed into the open, which rose further up into the air once he was on board. From the safety of the Bullhead's compartment, he turned to the pair, "End of the line kids!" He yelled as he held up a red dust crystal a moment before he threw it at the two.

Naruto reacted quickly and threw a shuriken at the crystal, which deflected the stone away from the two. Roman growled in annoyance at the blonde. He was proving to be rather troublesome for a brat. Of course the new arrive behind the two kids was not helping his mode either.

"Stand back you two. I'll take it from here." A voice said from behind Ruby and Naruto. The two turned to see Glynda Goodwitch approaching them. Well more like the Bullhead as she walked right past the two teens. She adjusted her glasses for a moment before giving her riding crop a swing, which unleashed a barrage of purple colored energy bolts.

"Who is that?" Naruto asked Ruby as he watched the display. This woman was easily knocking around a heavy flying machine.

"She's a teacher at Beacon Academy! A famous huntress, Glynda Goodwitch!" Ruby said with the excitement clear in her voice. To meet a huntress of all things was really fortunate in her mind.

The Bullhead stabilized and turned to attempt an escape. Glynda didn't seem to like that idea as she summoned a large cloud above the machine which started to rain rather sharp icicles considering they were piercing the Bullhead. Naruto noticed however that Roman had disappeared during one of the attacks. Soon enough a woman took his place as she walked out of the cockpit of the aircraft. Naruto noticed she seemed to deliberately keep her face hidden in the darkness of the Bullhead compartment. Naruto did, however, take note of her glowing amber eyes as markings appeared on her arms before she fired a sort of fireball at Glynda. Naruto grabbed Ruby and jumped back from the combat zone, giving Glynda room to work. He was glad he did as the ground below Glynda seemed to glow for a second before it exploded. "Are fights always like this here?" Naruto yelled over the sound of the wind and explosions.

"Not really!" Ruby replied to her companion. The two watched as Glynda used the debris from the explosion to attack the airship with a spear of rocks.

As the mystery woman countered the attack, Naruto hatched an idea, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Ruby watched as a second blonde boy just poofed into existence.

Needless to say, she spent a moment looking between the two before asking, "How…?!"

Naruto cut her off, "I'll explain later. Right now though, how good is your aim?" Naruto asked, getting a raised eyebrow from Ruby as he pointed at the engine of the Bullhead. Ruby got the idea and nodded to Naruto, spinning Crescent Rose into a launching position. Naruto, meanwhile, formed a Rasengan in his clone's hand. Once completed the clone got into launching position, "It's ready Ruby!"

Ruby looked at the copy standing on the blunt end of her weapon holding a swirling blue sphere in his hand. She definitely had to talk to this guy later especially since he knew who she was. But for now… "Go!" She yelled as she fired the clone off towards the Bullhead's engine.

The mystery woman was too busy dealing with Glynda's attacks to pay attention to the two teenagers. So when the Bullhead shook violently and alarms starting going off, she was a bit confused as smoke blew in front of the opening. She turned to see the Naruto clone clinging onto a rather badly dented engine. The clone grinned before it was blasted out of existed by the woman. She clearly wasn't happy as circles appeared around her before she waves her arms at the three. The three looked down to see the entire roof start to glow red.

"Damn!" Naruto yelled before he slammed his hand on the ground. Ruby and Glynda prepared to run only to find themselves lifted in the air… by air? They could feel the winds wrap around their legs and it felt like they were standing on something solid despite nothing being there.

The glowing rooftop exploded violently just moments after Naruto acted, enshrouding the group in smoke. The mystery woman seemed satisfied with her work as the Bullhead closed. She rejoined her partner as Roman piloted the craft away. He turned to the woman and seemed rather calm despite the alarms, "We're going to have to scrape the aircraft. I can get us a bit away if the engine holds."

The woman only scowled as she took a seat. At least the one responsible wouldn't be bothering them anytime soon, or so she thought.

"That was close." Naruto said with a sigh of relief as he lowered everyone to the ground. He'd never been so glad for his semblance before, complete control of the wind within his general vicinity, five meters in fact. He had managed to develop a small variety of techniques with it with one being a shield from various forms of fires and explosions and a second being able to levitate himself and things. Granted the more he had to hold up the bigger the drain on him, but thankfully a couple extra people weren't difficult.

Glynda and Ruby were both looking at Naruto in awe. Though Ruby snapped out of it first as she got in Naruto's face and started to barrage him with questions, "Who are you?! How did you make a copy of yourself?! What was that weird blue thing?! How can you make us fly?! Why are we not toast?!"

"Uh…" Naruto backed away with his hands up like he was surrendering, "I can answer the first, fourth, and fifth question. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and the flying and shield from the explosion were due to my semblance. I can control all the air around me within five meters. I basically picked us up and made a concentrated wall of wind below us to deflect the blast. Though it was really draining to stop a blast that big…" Naruto said as he took a deep breath while wiping some sweat off his face.

Before Ruby could spazz out over how cool Naruto's semblance was, Glynda got their attention with a cough. The two teens looked towards the seasoned huntress as she gestured the two to follow, "Come with me, please. We need to report what has happened to the authorities."

Naruto and Ruby looked at each other and shrugged. Didn't seem like a bad idea. The two didn't realize they would be interrogated instead of just giving a report. The two sat behind a table as Glynda paced back and forth behind them. Ruby looked dejected by the turn of events where as Naruto was hiding his emotions behind a poker face. In truth, he was nervous as hell. If Summer learned he had been arrested on his first day in Vale… oh boy…

"I hope you realize your actions tonight will not be taken lightly you two. You put yourselves and others in great danger." Glynda stated as she moved around to the front of the table.

"They started it!" Ruby countered in her and Naruto's defense.

"Yeah, they did try to rob us and that shop." Naruto added. How had his night gotten so complicated?

Glynda seemed to side with the two for a moment as she pulled out a large scroll, "If it were up to me, you would both be sent home with a pat on the back…" She said as she stopped in front of the room's door as Ruby smiled, "And a slap on the wrist!" Glynda stated as she smacked her riding crop down at the pair's hands. Ruby jumped back in surprise as Naruto didn't even react as the tool made contact with the table.

"But… there is someone here who would like to meet with you both." Glynda said as she moved out of the doorway. Ruby looked puzzled at this. Who could want to meet her and a boy she didn't know in an interrogation room?

She was answered by a tall, gray haired man with a green outfit walked into the room. In one hand a tray of cookies and in the other a mug of what smelled like hot chocolate to Naruto. He looked at the two for a moment before speaking, "Ruby Rose." The man stated as he showed he knew who Ruby was. He leaned in a bit closer to the two and got a better look at Ruby, "You… have silver eyes."

 _"Just like Auntie Summer."_ Naruto thought as Ruby stuttered nervously.

"So…" The man started as he turned to the scroll Glynda was holding, "Where did you learn to do this?"

"S-Signal Academy!" Ruby responded, her nerves still showing in her tone.

The man seemed a bit surprised by her answer, "They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well, one teacher in particular." Ruby quickly added.

"I see." The man said before he set the plate of cookies down on the table between the two. Naruto didn't hesitate to take a cookie and eat it. Ruby looked at the plate for a moment before following his lead and taking a cookie for herself. Not a moment later was she stuffing cookies in her mouth.

 _"Eight, impressive."_ Naruto thought as he kept count of just how many cookies Ruby managed to fight into her mouth at once. Chewing them seemed to be a problem for her but that was her own fault.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe wielder of that skill before. A dusty old crow." The man stated as he looked up to the ceiling in remembrance of his memories.

Naruto held a laugh in as Ruby attempted to speak with the cookies in her mouth while holding her ninth cookie. The man raised an eyebrow as he tried to decipher what Ruby had said. With a gasp for air after she swallowed all the cookies, Ruby wiped her mouth with an embarrassed smile, "Sorry. That's my uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing and now I'm all like hooo wachaa!" Ruby said as she finished with doing mock up martial arts poses.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how similar he and Ruby were in that aspect _"Sounds like Summer and me back when we first met."_

"So I've noticed." The man said as he set his mug down, "and what about you young man? Those were some rather unique abilities you displayed on that rooftop, and you wasted little to no energy while dispatching those men. Something only the most skilled huntsman and huntresses can accomplish."

"I was, and still am, the disciple of a huntress who has just recently returned to Vale. We were on the Isle of Patch at first but came here to find Ruby and Yang after we met up with their father." Naruto stated, getting an odd stare from everyone in the room.

"And just who is this Huntress in question?" The man stated as he took a seat and folded his hands.

Naruto looked around the room and stopped at Ruby. He stared back at her for a moment before sighing, "I figured she would explain this so I'm at a bit of a loss. I guess I'll start at the beginning… The reason I was looking for Ruby specifically is because of this Huntress, who disappeared seven years ago on a mission."

The man's eyes, as well as Glynda's, widened in response as they put the dots together, "You can't be talking about…" The man started to say only to be cut off by Naruto.

"The huntress who trained me… is Summer Rose." Naruto finished which caused the room to become dead silent.

Ruby only stared Naruto in utter shock. He just claimed her mother trained him, and that she was now in Vale with her father. That her mother was alive, "W-what…?"

* * *

 **Alright so it's very long time since I've done writing. Not sure how many people still follow me but I'm making a comeback! I might not do my usual reviewer's response simply to save time and work on other stories. That said, I left a lot of holes to be filled in later. So to those who made it this far…**

 **[1] (I tried really hard to think up something creative for this but drew a lot of blanks. If this doesn't make sense, just think of Lightning's Blazefire saber from FF XIII.)**


	2. A day of stories

**Round two! Fight!**

 **To clear up something, yes this takes place after the battle with Pain.**

 **Also, no offense but if you're simply going to post a review saying in some way shape or form to update soon, or pm me to ask when the next chapter is coming out… Don't. Really all that does is add unwanted pressure. I can forgive it on reviews if it's at the end of a comment or something but to send a pm specifically for that reason is just annoying.**

* * *

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby exclaimed as she stood up from her chair, "My Mom has been dead for years!"

"Calm down Miss Rose." The man known as Ozpin, the head of Beacon Academy, said to Ruby before he addressed Naruto, "This is a serious claim Mister Uzumaki. Do you have any proof?"

"You can contact Ruby's father, Taiyang Xiao Long. He can confirm what I've said." Naruto said as he folded his arms behind his head.

Ruby's breath hitched in her throat as she took a seat again. Was this boy telling the truth? He brought her father into it so casually and seemed very confident. Ozpin attempted to gather his thoughts on the matter when he noticed a message appear on the scroll Glynda was holding. _"Mr. Xiao Long is here to pick up his daughter."_

Ozpin took a sip of his hot chocolate before he stood up, "Well then, there is one way to confirm this story. Ruby's father is here right now, so if you both will follow me please." Ozpin said before he and Glynda exited the interrogation room.

Naruto stood up and started to head around the table, only to stop when he felt Ruby grab the sleeve of his jacket. He turned to her, only to see her looking at the ground. Silence filled the room before Ruby spoke, "This isn't a joke right? You're being serious?"

"Yes, Ruby. I'm completely serious. Your mom will be outside waiting for you with your dad. Yang too if they found her before they got the call about us." Naruto said before opening his hand of the arm Ruby was holding. Ruby looked at Naruto for a moment before sliding her grip down to his hand, allowing Naruto to help her out of her chair. Once on her feet, she let go of Naruto's hand and walked around the table with Naruto in tow. With every step, her heart beat harder to the point where it echoed in her ears. A few minutes later she would know whether this boy was telling the truth or if she was going to shoot him for toying with her emotions.

Ruby and Naruto passed through the door to the main lobby and when they did, Ruby froze. There, next to her father, stood Summer, who was talking to Ozpin. Yang was also in the room, leaning on the wall near the door as she looked lost in thought. Naruto nudged Ruby, snapping her out of her shock. She looked up at Naruto, who simply nodded over to Summer. Ruby gulped as she slowly walked up to the group.

Summer turned to the sound of footsteps approaching her and the others. This got the attention of the others as they all turned as well. No one said anything as Ruby slowly walked up to Summer. She stopped at least ten feet away and looked down at the floor nervously. Ruby couldn't seem to look her mother in the eye. Summer only gave a gentle smile. She expected this after how Yang reacted to her, "Ruby." Summer said softly, hoping to break the attention.

Ruby jumped at Summer's voice before she slowly looked up at the woman in front of her. This woman looked so much like Ruby that it scared her. The eyes, the hair, even a similar style, and that white cloak… The same cloak her mother is known for wearing. "Are… are you…" Ruby tried to ask, only for the words to get caught in her throat. Was she afraid to admit this woman was her mother? That her mother had simply been missing for seven years instead of dead? If that was the case then where had she been? How did she know Naruto?

"Ruby… You've grown so much." Ruby's eyes widen as Summer spoke, "Tai is right. You're a beautiful young lady now. I'm so sorry for missing the last seven years of your life…"

"Mom…" Ruby was finally able to say before her emotions finally spilled over. A flurry of rose petals flew around the room as Ruby plowed into her mother at full speed, sobbing uncontrollably. Summer felt the wind get knocked out of her as she slid back from the force of Ruby's speed. However, that didn't stop her from smiling and hugging her daughter close. Ruby began to sob as she spoke, "Mom your back! You've come back! Where have you been?!"

"I'm sorry Ruby… I've made things so hard for you. You, Yang, and Tai. I promise to make it up to you all." Summer said as she stroked her daughter's head, "I'll tell you all everything, but first, I think a nice meal at home is in order. All this tension isn't good for any of us."

No one could find the words to argue with Summer on that one. Even with Ruby being emotional, a heavy tension hung in the air. Yang had remained silent through the whole ordeal, most likely having vented her feelings on the matter beforehand. As everyone filed out of the building, Ozpin stopped Taiyang, "Mr. Xiao Long, if I may borrow your time for a small moment?"

Taiyang raised an eyebrow before sending everyone else on their way, "Go ahead, I'll catch up." Summer nodded, leading Ruby out as Yang and Naruto followed her.

Once everyone was outside, Ozpin spoke, "I apologize for the digression, but given the recent events, I thought it would be best to simply pass this onto you until everything has been settled. I intend to give both Ruby and Naruto a full invitation to Beacon Academy. Should one or both accept, simply contact me on the matter. I'll take no message in two weeks as a decline of my offer. Is that acceptable?"

Taiyang was surprised by the sudden offer from Ozpin. It was unusual for Ozpin to accept students early. They both must have really impressed the headmaster. Taiyang blinked a couple times before answering, "Uh, yeah. That'll work just fine. Ruby will be ecstatic, but not sure what Naruto will do though. I just met the kid."

"Simply present the offer and we'll see what comes to pass. Now then I believe I've taken enough of your time. You should rejoin your family before they become concerned." Ozpin told Taiyang. Taiyang gave Ozpin a nod and wave as he left the building.

When only Glynda and Ozpin remained in the room, Glynda voiced her concerns, "Sir, do you believe those two are truly ready for Beacon Academy?"

"You were there yourself Glynda. Their skill levels are far above others in their age group. Mr. Uzumaki also interreges me greatly. Just what gives him such mysterious powers? Could prove to be quite the learning experience for all of us." Ozpin stated before taking a swallow of his drink.

Once relocated back home, Summer and Naruto took the time to answer the questions of where Summer had been for the last seven years. Everyone was gathered around the dinner table except for Taiyang, who volunteered to cook since he already had the rough version of the story. The silence lingered in the air before Ruby spoke first, "Mom… what happened seven years ago?"

"I suppose that is the best place to start." Summer replied before she took a deep breath, "On the mission where I went missing, I had found a strange pitch black dust cluster in a cave that I'd never seen or heard of before. I decided to take a sample back so it could be studied, but when I made contact with the dust, it activated. The next thing I knew, it exploded and I woke up in the hospital in Naruto's village, Konohagakure."

"And just where exactly is Naruto's village?" Yang asked as she crossed her arms while looking at the boy with slight disdain, which made Naruto laugh nervously.

"Well, that's the hard part." Naruto answered this time, "The easiest way to say it is that my village doesn't exist in Remnant, but another world entirely. The dust that Auntie Summer found can transport people from this world to mine, and vice versa. In my world, the Grimm doesn't exist, dust is extremely rare to find, and our technology has nothing on the tech in this world."

"Auntie Summer?" Ruby asked in a mixed tone. Naruto blinked before swearing in his head. He'd been trying to avoid calling Summer his auntie until everything with her family had settled down but he slipped.

Naruto quickly waved his hands in front of him, "We're not biologically related or anything! It's just that… well…" Naruto started to say only to trail off. How did he explain this without hurting the girls or his Auntie?

"It's alright Naruto, I'll take over from here." Summer said as she took the spot light off of her adopted child. She had come to terms with it herself some time ago when they were on their training journey with Jiraiya. This would certainly add to the wedge between Summer and her children, but it was a consequence she had to accept. That wouldn't stop her from reconnecting with Ruby and Yang, however. In the words of her disciple, she would never give up. "After being discharged from the hospital in Konoha, the leader of Konoha was kind enough to grant me passes to come and go from the village. However the paperwork still took time to go through, so I spent a couple of weeks exploring the village. One day I stumbled upon Naruto playing in the park with some other kids." Naruto smiled a bit as he recalled the day Summer was talking about. "Watching the children play together reminded me of you two, so I stayed and watched for a bit. Eventually, the children were taken home by their parents except for Naruto. I was concerned, so I waited for a bit to make sure he was picked up as well. When no one came, I decided to keep Naruto company and eventually walked him home."

The girls raised an eyebrow in confusion until Naruto explained, "I'm an orphan, so there was no one to come for me. I've lived on my own instead of in the orphanage for as long as I can remember." Everyone in the room understood why Summer had taken an interest in Naruto as a child. Being an orphan herself, Summer always sympathized with children of the same background.

"Wait, this village let you have your own place to live with no adult supervision? I'm a teenager and even I find that irresponsible!" Yang said with irritation clear in her voice.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "That's not the worst of it. Parents kept their kids away from me, shops threw me out, and forget about going into town on my birthday."

"That's… horrible!" Ruby commented. She watched Naruto carefully, who seemed really carefree about his childhood treatment, before she asked, "Why would they treat you that way?"

Summer looked at Naruto with concern, who simply shrugged before continuing, "I'm not a normal person. I'm what they call a jinchuriki back in my world." Thanks to Summer's support growing up, Naruto had come to accept his title and being able to tell people about his permanent guest.

"A jin… what?" Both girls asked at once.

"Well… I would compare Kyuubi to a Grimm but so far he's proven a lot nicer than the Grimm have." Naruto stated before he winced and held his ear, "It was a joke furball! A joke and a compliment!"

Ruby and Yang looked even more confused than they did a moment ago at Naruto's seemingly random conversation with "furball". They both looked at Zwei for a moment, who was snoozing in the door frame to the other room. Summer giggled a bit before she explained, "As said before, Naruto's world does not have Grimm, but they have another creature called Bijuu. Nine in total if I recall correctly with a different number of tails to show how strong it is. Each one of these creatures is extremely powerful. So much so that even the one tailed beast alone could wipe Vale off the map if it wanted too."

Ruby and Yang gasped in surprise and even Taiyang couldn't help himself as he turned to listen to this part of the story. Naruto took a deep breath as he took over, "On the day I was born, a man managed to use Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed Fox, to attack my village. Having no other option at the time, my father died sealing the Kyuubi away inside of me. However not before it was able to destroy a portion of the village, and take the lives of a lot of people. Because of that, people treated me like I was the fox itself. The leader of my village at the time made a law that forbade everyone from ever talking about me being the jailer. Still… that didn't stop how they treated me. For nine years I grew up alone." Everyone was silent as Naruto explained his life, "That is what a jinchuriki is. A person who has had a Bijuu sealed away inside of them, and has had to live with the consequences of it." Naruto finished as he started to tilt back in his chair, "Honestly if not for Auntie Summer, I don't know how I would have turned out. I hated everyone back then because they hated me for no reason. Auntie was the first person to treat me like I was a person. Granted old man Hokage tried to as well but being the leader of the village kept him very busy so he has never around."

No one felt the urge to ask what a Hokage was. They were all hung up on how Naruto was treated as a child. Nine years of being treated like you didn't belong in your own hometown. That must have been unbearably cruel, yet the boy in front of them managed to endure. "Well, to pick up where we got side tracked." Summer spoke, having decided to not let the topic linger on such a depressing note, "Since I was stranded in the village for some time, I decided to spend time with Naruto during my wait. Eventually, I learned how he was treated and simply couldn't leave him alone like that. While looking after him, I spent time searching various geological spots of interest that I thought may have had a chance of finding more dust. Obviously, my searches did not end successfully."

"Auntie started to help me with my studies at the village academy since none of the teachers there would. Now that I think about it, I'm positive they were trying to fail me on purpose." Naruto stated as he grabbed his chin, "After that, she taught me how to fight properly in hand to hand and with a sword. She'd give me a couple lessons and while she was out searching for a way home, I would practice the lessons. Three years later when I graduated my village's Academy, she gave me Maelstrom." Naruto finished as he pulled out the weapon in question. "Auntie Summer is the only family I've ever had. That's why I call her Auntie."

Ruby and Yang couldn't find it in their hearts to be mad at the pair for that. Yang because she understood the meaning of searching for answers without being obsessed with them, and Ruby because it showed that even after seven years her mom was still the caring woman she could remember. Summer herself smiled at the explanation. While she wished Naruto would call her "mom" as well, she at least understood why he didn't. She had asked him why while they were on their training journey. As Naruto had put it, it was out of respect for Summer as well as her children. He didn't what her to feel like he was taking their place, or for them to feel replaced if he ever met them. So he had settled for Auntie. "Honestly I'm more grateful for having met Naruto that day than anything. If not for him, I more than likely wouldn't have stayed in his village and in turn, not found the dust crystal that brought us here. Given how rare it is for Dust to be found in his world… I could still be wandering there if not for that meeting."

That added some points to Naruto for Ruby and Yang. In a way, this boy was responsible for bringing their mother back home, if indirectly. Another silence filled the room for a moment before Yang spoke up, "That's enough for one night. I've still got a lot more questions but… I don't think to have them all answered in one setting will do us any good."

Ruby sat quietly, not sure whether or not to agree with Yang. She too had a lot more questions, but she also wanted to enjoy the fact that her mother was back in her life. So she settled for one more, "I have one more question for you Mom. What will you do now? I mean… you were one of the greatest huntresses around and…"

"I think I'll take it easy for a while. Perhaps see about getting a job teaching like Tai once we get my death status revoked." Summer answered honestly. After training Naruto for so long, she had found a certain love for teaching herself. Taiyang himself smirked a bit as he started to hatch an idea on how to get Summer more time to spend with the girls. Perhaps Ozpin would be willing to do him a favor.

Naruto noticed Ruby relax at Summer's answer. Most likely Ruby had a worry that her mother would go missing again. Naruto couldn't blame her on that one, but before he could speak on the matter he smelled something burning. _"Burning…?"_ "The food!" Naruto yelled, causing Taiyang to realize he'd left the food cooking for too long.

After a small panic and nice meal, everyone started to settle in for the night. Naruto had to crash in the living room due to a lack of a guest room. Ruby stopped on the stairwell and turned to the boy who had already fallen asleep with ease. She hoped he would be there in the morning, cause if he was there then so was her mother. Then none of this would be a nightmare in disguise.

"I hope you and Yang will be good friends with him." Summer said from behind her daughter, causing Ruby to jump in surprise. Summer was now in a robe after having taken a shower.

Ruby looked at her mother for a moment before turning back to the sleeping Naruto, "It'll probably be a little awkward, but I'll try." Ruby paused for a moment before she looked back at Summer, "Mom, you'll still be here when I wake up in the morning right?"

"Yes, Ruby. I promise that I'll either be making breakfast or trapped in my bed because your father won't let go of me." Summer responded, adding a joke at the end to try and help Ruby relax. Ruby did manage a giggle at the image of her mother being pinned down by a clingy Taiyang. She stopped however when she felt something be lowered around her head. She looked down to see a necklace of a small cross resting below her collar bone. Holding it in her hand, she looked back at Summer who was simply smiling, "Reassurance. When you wake up with that, you'll know it was all real."

Ruby clutched the cross tightly with a small smile before she hugged Summer, "I love you, Mom! I'm so happy you're home." She said softly.

Summer gladly returned the hug, "I love you too my dear little Ruby."

"I'm not so little anymore though." Ruby countered.

Summer chuckled before she let go of Ruby and placed her hands on her hips, "Hate to tell you this dear, but you'll always be my little Ruby to me. Just like Yang will be my little fireball, and Naruto my little tornado. Just part of being a parent."

"That's not fair! If I get taller than you then you can't call me little anymore!" Ruby said in defiance.

"Well, then I hope you're a late bloomer like I was. I didn't hit my growth spurt until I was Yang's age." Summer said as she rubbed Ruby's head, "Go get some sleep. A growing girl needs her rest."

Ruby glared playfully at Summer before agreeing, "Alright. Goodnight mom." Ruby said before she headed up the stairs to her room. This one conversation had brought her so much joy that she silently wished with all her heart that this wasn't a dream as she clutched her new necklace all night long.

"Good night Ruby." Summer replied before she turned to Naruto. Naruto hadn't been disturbed in the slightest at the conversation, snoring away quietly in place on the couch. Summer only giggled before she too headed for the stairs, but not before saying, "Good night Naruto." With a quick stop to wish Yang a good night sleep as well, Summer retired to her bed.

Not a moment after she lay down did a pair of strong arms pull her close to a well-toned body. The warmth of the body made Summer relax as she snuggled into the source, "I've wanted to do this for so long…"

"So have I." Taiyang responded as his wife fell asleep in his arms. Not in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would get to do this once again, yet here she was. His family was whole again and even had one additional member now. True Taiyang didn't know Naruto all that well, but as far as he was concerned, the boy helped brought his wife back to him and his daughters. Naruto would always be welcomed in his home.

The next morning, Ruby awoke feeling unusually refreshed. She sat up and started to stretch only to feel something pull at her neck. Opening her hand, she saw the necklace her mother had given her the previous night. Ruby smiled as she let out a big sigh of relief. Letting the necklace come to rest, she resumed her stretch before getting ready for the day.

Once ready she stopped at the top of the stairs as she overheard Summer from her bedroom, "Tai, I need to go make breakfast for the kids!" A quiet muffled voice followed in which Summer responded with, "I know you want more snuggle time, but I really want to have a nice breakfast made for them on my first morning back home. Now let! Me! Go!" Summer said between grunts in what was no doubt an attempt to get free from her husband's bear grip.

Ruby let a nervous laugh out before she headed down stairs. Guess she could wait a little while to see if her mother managed to escape the grasp of her father. Once at the base of the stairs, she noticed that their blonde guest was no longer on the couch. After doing a quick search of the house, she found he was nowhere inside. "Where did he go?" Ruby wondered before deciding to check the property. She started in the front yard and worked her way to the back, where she eventually found Naruto in the middle of training. He seemed to be doing some mixed form of martial arts and sword play as his sword floated behind him. Naruto would do one or two strikes with his fists before taking Maelstrom out of the air for a slash. "What are you doing?" Ruby asked, causing Naruto's concentration to break. Maelstrom fell to the ground when Naruto lost focus, causing him to sigh.

"Still not good enough…" He muttered as he picked his weapon up and returned it to its sheath, "Nothing much. Just trying to master a new fighting style."

"Why? Your current style seems to work fine." Ruby said as she walked up to him. Granted she had only seen him use a small bit of his semblance and toss two men like rag dolls.

"Well… I've recently mastered the art of being a sage. The easiest way I can explain that I can connect with nature and use that connection to do very powerful attacks taught to me by the elder toads." Naruto explained. Ruby only raised an eyebrow in confusion which made Naruto chuckle, "Sorry… I'm not the best at explaining things. In my world, people can summon special animals if they sign a contract for that animal. These animals can be from tiny to the size of small mountains and talk. Each one seems to have their own society somewhere. The toads deemed me worthy to be taught the art of being a toad sage, so I trained with them and learned how to use nature energy. With that came Frog Kata, a type of martial art that utilizes the natural energy, but…" Naruto crossed his arms in frustration, "Finding a balance between Frog Kata, using Maelstrom, and my semblance is proving hard. Frog Kata and my semblance work fine, but the sword play is the tricky part."

"Which is why you had Maelstrom floating behind you? So you could find a way to use it easier?" Ruby asked with interest. She may have only understood a fraction of what Naruto said, but it sounded cool and that was enough for her to take an interest.

"Yeah, though any break in my focus causes me to drop Maelstrom, as you saw. This is a tough one…" Naruto mumbled at the end.

Ruby crossed her arms in thought before smacking her fist into her palm as a light bulb went off in her head, "Why don't we go look at some training magazines for sword skills! They might help give you an idea on what to do and this way I can show you around Patch since you'll be here for a while."

That didn't sound like a bad idea to Naruto. He barely knew the town and it wouldn't help for him to get lost, "Alright, but what about everyone else?" Naruto asked as he looked at the house.

"Mom is trapped in bed because of Dad, and Yang sleeps in late when she can. It'll be a quick tour and then we can come back for breakfast if Mom has managed to wiggle out of my Dad's grip. Come on!" Ruby stated before leading Naruto away from the house. So long as they didn't go wandering off into the woods no one would be upset. Heck even if they did no one would get upset. For Ruby, the woods were an excellent practice zone since there was always plenty of Grimm to kill.

As Ruby skipped down the road with Naruto walking in tow, she informed Naruto on the various places in Patch. Being an average size town thanks to Signal Academy, there were a few places of interest at least. "That is the town dust shop. It gets a lot of business thanks to Signal Academy so it's best to make orders during the week instead of the weekends. The bakery down the street has the most amazing strawberry cake ever too!" Ruby said before started to drool a bit at the thought of strawberry cake. Well more the thought of strawberries in general. She quickly wiped her mouth before resuming the tour, "Well there isn't much else besides the clothing store and Signal. The clothing store is really good with custom orders though! Any questions?"

Naruto shook his head as he followed Ruby through the streets, "No, I'm good."

Ruby slowed her pace from a skip to a walk to match Naruto, "So… what other things can you do? Everything you did at the fight in Vale was amazing!"

Naruto couldn't help the grin on his face as he rubbed the back of head embarrassed, "Hm… Well, I can use various forms of fire attacks. Wind attacks too, but I tend to just stick with my semblance for that. I can make myself look like objects and other people. I have around five versions of the Rasengan and each one makes a bigger crater than the last one. Oh, the Rasengan is that blue ball I hit the Bullhead with." Naruto added, getting a nod from Ruby, "Last time I did a check I could make over… almost three thousand clones too."

"T-three thousand?! You… You are your own personal army!" Ruby yelled in excitement, "Can your clones use your semblance too?!" She asked as she looked at Naruto as if he had become her top idol.

"Unfortunately, no. Found out the hard way that since my clones are just copies of me, they don't come with an aura or semblance. Though they do come with bullets." Naruto said with a smile, "One downside to having Maelstrom back home is that Auntie always had to hand make my bullets for me, since we don't have guns and by that extension, ammo. Auntie refused to show anyone how to make them before you ask." Naruto said, causing Ruby to close her mouth as he continued, "At most, I'd have extra two clips of ammo on me at one time so I had to pick my shots carefully. At least until I found out my clones also came with ammo. I can make my own firing squad. Though for some reason transforming them into clips of ammo doesn't work. Makes the clone dispel in the gun. Maybe it's the hammer slamming the bullet or the explosion of the gun powder…" Naruto said as he muttered the last bit.

"Um… you lost me at that last part." Ruby said as she tried to sort out what Naruto meant about his clones.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, well my clones aren't sturdy. Basically, one good hit can make my clones disappear. Good for over whelming my opponents with numbers, but if the opponent is skilled then they can easily be dispatched."

"Oh. So how do you do all this amazing stuff, and more importantly, can I do it too?!" Ruby asked eagerly, getting more excited with every word at the mental image of an army of herself armed with Crescent Rose.

"You might be able to learn how to do it. Auntie learned how to use chakra on our training journey, though it took her almost a month. Chakra is what lets me do everything I told you about." Naruto said before he looked around, "I can explain this better if I had something to draw with."

"Oh, here use this." Ruby said before she pulled out her scroll. Naruto watched her tap a few icons on the device before she handed it to him, "Just use your finger. It acts like a pen."

Naruto tested this, using his finger to make a single line at the top of the screen, "I really need to get one of these." Naruto said before he gave Ruby a rough crash course on chakra.

Five minutes later, Ruby recapping everything Naruto had told her. "So everyone has chakra and it can kill you if you run out. It's made up of the physical and spiritual energy of the body, which increases by training and meditation… I miss anything?"

"That's it in a nutshell. Once you get the feel of channeling chakra, it just becomes a matter of practice." Naruto said before he smiled as he passed Ruby back her scroll, "Now it's my turn to ask a question. Can I see your weapon?"

"You want to see Crescent Rose?" Ruby asked curiously before smiling, "Tell you what, I'll let you see mine if you let me see yours. I want to see Mom's handy work!"

Naruto shrugged and switched weapons with Ruby after deploying the blade. Ruby went into a detailed inspection whereas Naruto struggled to find Crescent Rose's deployment mechanism. Without looking, Ruby reached over and deployed the weapon for him. Naruto yelped in surprised before giving the younger girl a slight glare, "Warn someone before doing that." After taking a few steps back and a couple practice swings, Naruto seemed satisfied as he returned the weapon to its compact form, "It's heavier than I thought it was. What kind of rounds do you use?"

"High caliber sniper rounds. I use the recoil to add to my speed and mobility. Pretty cool right?" Ruby asked as she looked down the backside of Maelstrom's blade. She noticed a strange mark and discoloration on the spine of the weapon a small bit above the hilt, "Hm. Was it broken and forged back together at one point?" Naruto nodded before looking through the sniper scope. Ruby switched Maelstroms mode and looked down the iron sight, "The blade gets put away. That's a bit weird. She should have made it into a bayonet or like a bladed tonfa… Maelstrom is a pretty simple in design. How long did it take Mom to make it?" Ruby added as she switched Maelstrom to its compact form and switched back with Naruto.

Naruto chuckled a bit as he put his weapon away, "Auntie explained how it took her almost a year to make since we don't have the same type of technology. Everything was hand forged and she had to find a lot of specific metal so it wouldn't break easily."

"Huh. Wonder if I can make some upgrades for it at some point. I'll have to talk to Mom about its specs. Anyway, we should get to the dust shop before we forget too…" Before the two could continue, Ruby checked her scroll after a loud beep informed the teen of a message, "Oh, Dad sent me a message. Everyone is wondering where we are, so I guess we should head back."

"Alright. Thanks for showing me around Ruby." Naruto said as the two headed for home.

"No problem. Maybe later you can show me that chakra stuff." Ruby responded as she resumed her skipping.

"Maybe."

Once back home, the two teens returned to the smell of fresh food being cooked. Naruto immediately realized the food, "Auntie is making waffles!" Needless to say, the two quickly joined Yang at the table

"So, how was the date?" Yang asked out of the blue.

Ruby gagged and nearly did a spit take with her milk. She coughed twice before she addressed her sister, "It wasn't a date! I just showed Naruto around town and got to know him a bit! Right?"

As the two girls dragged Naruto into their friendly squabble, Summer happily hummed a tune as she cooked for everyone. A few minutes later Taiyang walked in waving his scroll in the air, "Well I have good news for three people today. So who should I start with?"

"Oh! Oh! Am I one of the three?!" Ruby said excitedly with her hand raised.

"Yes in fact. You, Naruto, and Summer." Taiyang said as he took a seat at the table. Summer turned as she moved a waffle onto a plate having heard her name called. Knowing he had everyone's attention, Taiyang continued, "Ozpin has offered our young Ruby and Naruto here an invitation to Beacon Academy. I also sent him a message last night before bed about if Summer could have a teaching job, and he is rather keen on the idea."

Ruby started to hyperventilate at the news before she let out a squeal of ecstasy at the news. Naruto, however, just seemed puzzled, "Beacon… Beacon… I know I've heard that before."

"It's the school where Taiyang and I trained." Summer said with a joyful tone. So many memories of her time at Beacon with Taiyang, Qrow, and… Raven. Thoughts of her one missing teammate and the previous lover of Taiyang caused Summer to let out a deep sigh. Raven had been one of her closest friends and yet one day she just vanished, abandoning her daughter and lover. No one knew why she was missing, and all attempts to find her ended in failure. It was considered that Raven had been slain at one point, but Summer never believed it. Raven was the greatest fighter of their team. Hell if not for Raven, Summer knew her sword skills wouldn't be near the level they are today.

Naruto seemed conflicted at the idea of attending Beacon Academy," I'm grateful for the offer but… I'm not sure if I should accept it."

"Why not?!" Ruby yelled as she slammed her hands on the table, "Beacon is the greatest Huntsman and Huntress school in the world! Mom and Dad both went there! Think of all the things they could teach us!" Ruby continued in excitement.

"Well for one we don't know how long I'm staying here." Naruto countered as he slowly scooted his chair a bit further away from Ruby, "I mean I do want to see a lot of Remnant, but I do have to go back home at some point."

"Then you should go to Beacon. You will get a chance to learn about Remnant's history and take missions that let you travel around." Yang said as she ate, having "stolen" a waffle earlier, "I mean, even if it's temporary it's better than nothing right? Plus you'd have Ruby and me to show you around the school and if Mom takes the teaching job, we can spend more time together outside of class." Yang honestly didn't see a downside to this arrangement.

That was one part of the offer Summer had considered. No doubt Taiyang asked Ozpin for the job position so she could spend time with her children since Beacon was rather far from Patch. "What would the position be? I'm a bit out of touch with the recent technology and events."

"Team close quarter combat expertise." Taiyang answered, "You would be teaching the students on how to effectively utilize the strengths and weaknesses of their team."

Summer stayed silent for a bit before she smiled, "Well I did specialize in the team coordination back in the day." Summer glanced at her disciple for a moment before she decided, "I'll accept the job."

Naruto glanced up when he felt like someone was staring at him, only to see everyone had their eyes on Naruto. "Why not? We'll just have to explain to this Ozpin that I'll have to leave at some point." Naruto said with a smile. He couldn't pass up an attempt to learn more about Remnant after all.

\- _Weeks pass:_ -

Naruto sat in the seat of the Bullhead, fiddling with his new scroll. "He's really into that scroll." Yang commented as she watched her counterpart blonde play. He hadn't said a word the entire trip since Summer had given him said device before their departure.

Ruby stifled a giggle, "He really likes to learn about this kind of stuff. When I showed him my blueprint for Crescent Rose, his jaw hit the floor."

"Oh great, another weapons dork." Yang said playfully as she gave Ruby a playful jab to the arm.

"More like a combat dork." Summer corrected from her seat on the other side of Naruto, "When it comes to learning new fighting techniques, no one takes to it or puts as much effort as Naruto does. He'll run himself into the ground if you let him."

"Sounds unhealthy." Yang commented before she leaned over Ruby to try and peak at what Naruto was doing on his scroll.

Naruto was completely oblivious to the conversation as he continued to fiddle with his new toy. At least until Summer plucked it out of his hands as she stood up. Naruto looked confused as Summer waved the three kids over, "Come over here and check out the view." The three teens stood up and followed Summer to the other side of the ship.

"Oh wow!" Ruby exclaimed as she looked through the window, "You can see Signal from up here!" Her gaze moved from Patch to Beacon Academy in the distance. It was then Ruby grew silence.

Naruto looked between the Isle of Patch and their destination, "Oh cool, I can travel from Vale to Patch on foot and back."

"What, can you walk on water too?" Yang asked in disbelief only to get a nod from both Naruto and Summer.

"It's a common practice to stand on and walk on water in Naruto's home." Summer commented.

Naruto grinned as he added, "Walls and ceilings too."

"… You are definitely teaching us how to do this." Yang said before she nudged Ruby, "Right sis?"

Ruby didn't seem to notice as she stared off into the distance at Beacon Academy. It wasn't until Yang gave her a harder nudge that she snapped out of her stupor, "Huh? Oh, yeah. What Yang said." Ruby said before staring back out the window.

Summer immediately caught onto how something was bothering her child, "Something bothering you Ruby?"

"I'm just nervous. I was so excited at going to Beacon I forgot that I would be skipped ahead two years. I'm the youngest person here on a plane where I know only three other people, two of which are my family. I just… don't want people to think I'm special or anything." Ruby explained.

"But you are special! Everyone is going to think you're the bee's knees!" Yang told Ruby as she wrapped her arm gently around Ruby's shoulders.

"And if that bothers you, just tell them about me skipping training school entirely. I can handle the attention, good or bad." Naruto added. He could care less if people gave him shit or not about skipping ahead. Those that did would be on his prank list and those who didn't would be left alone. Simple as that.

Summer smiled and rubbed Ruby's head, "It's good that you're not being arrogant about being moved ahead Ruby, but do have confidence. Ozpin wouldn't have given you an invitation to Beacon if he didn't believe you were ready."

Ruby smiled a bit at the sound advice of her mother. Yang's and Naruto's words of support helped as well, but something about having her mother back to support her gave her an unusually warm feeling. Before anyone could continue speaking, Glynda Goodwitch appeared on a hologram at various places of the airship. She began her speech on how those on the ship were the chosen few to go to Beacon and how they were the protectors of peace. Unfortunately, before the touching moment could continue when Glynda's speech was finished, a blonde boy stumbled by the four gagging horribly.

As everyone watched the boy stumble to the nearest container to hold his stomach contents, Naruto commented, "I feel bad for that guy."

"Hopefully we meet other people instead of vomit boy over there." Yang added

"Yang, be nice! Not everyone can handle flying!" Summer scolded before she noticed that a bit of the boy's spew had managed to leak onto the floor near them, as well as on Yang's shoe, "Yang, dear…"

"Gross Yang! There's puke on your shoe!" Ruby said loudly as she moved behind Naruto to get away from the puke.

Yang looked down and immediately started to hop on one foot chanting gross over and over again. She tried to shake it off away from anyone only to turn to Naruto when her plan failed, "Naruto, you're a guy! Clean it off!"

"Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I'm good with vomit! Keep it away from me!" Naruto said as he and Ruby both backed away from Yang. Even Summer found herself covering her mouth as she stepped back. Stomach fluids were not her strong suit. Summer was thankful as Yang chased after Naruto and Ruby as she tried to get one of them to clean her shoe.

Once the ship had docked at Beacon and Yang managed to get her shoe cleaned, the four departed for the school entrance. Summer stopped and stared at the school in nostalgia with a smile as the teens were in a sense of awe. After a moment of silence Summer spoke up, "Well, I need to report to Ozpin before the assembly. We need to settle a few things before I can begin teaching on paper. Be sure to get to the main auditorium in twenty minutes. Oh, and do keep where Naruto is from a secret for now. Best to settle in before making any tidal waves."

"Bye Mom/Auntie!" The three kids said as Summer walked away from them. Naruto took a look at the other student's passing them, "So, what now?"

"Well, I'm gonna catch up with my friends." Yang said as a group of people appeared out of nowhere around her, "Have fun you two!" She added before her and the group sped off into the distance fast enough to cause Ruby to spin in a circle.

Naruto caught Ruby before she could fall over onto a cart rolling behind from dizziness, "Does she do that a lot?" Naruto asked before he noticed an insignia on one of the suitcases, _"Isn't that…?"_

"Run off without a care in the world? Yes." Ruby replied as she shook her head, "Thanks for the catch."

Naruto only nodded before another female voice called out from nearby, "Naruto Uzumaki?"

Both Naruto and Ruby turned to Weiss Schnee approaching them. Naruto grinned as he waved at Weiss, "Hey Weiss! How have you been?"

"I have been good thanks to you. You didn't mention attending Beacon back in Atlas." Weiss said with a small smile as she approached the two.

Naruto chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, some things happened. Found Auntie's husband then had to go to Vale to track down Ruby here and her sister. I found Ruby, we stopped a robbery and fought with some thugs, which impressed the Headmaster of Beacon. So, here we are. Oh! This is Ruby Rose, Auntie Summer's daughter."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at Ruby, who seemed a bit awkward at the sudden arrival of a new person, "You're the daughter of the Summer Rose? Well, you do look remarkably similar now that I picture it."

"Um, yeah… So how do you two know each other?" Ruby asked, quickly directing the spotlight away from herself.

"Naruto and your mother saved my life in Atlas by foiling an assassination attempt on my life by the White Fang." Weiss stated, not aware of another girl nearby who turned an ear in interest at the conversation.

Naruto took over as he explained in detail, "Auntie and I ran into financial trouble in Atlas, so we took some small jobs to get enough to travel to Patch. We got hired on to help with a performance at the theater Weiss was performing at since a few of the stage hands hadn't shown up. Turns out they were kidnapped by the Fang and left tied up in a dumpster to be found later. Anyway, I guess since Auntie and I filled two of the spots, these White Fang guys decided a more direct approach. I noticed one of the other stage hands letting a group of people all wearing the same outfit in through the back door. I didn't know it was a white fang uniform at the time but still thought it was suspicious. I tried to approach the guy holding the door open, but he attacked me. It went poorly for him since I knocked him out in a couple hits. I went and told Auntie about it and we split up, taking out every member of the Fang that had gotten in silently so not to disturb the performance and cause a panic the group could take advantage of. I found the last guy in the rafters above the stage aiming a gun at the back of Weiss's head. At that point, stealth wasn't an option anymore. I rushed him, which got his attention to focus on me instead of Weiss. Before he could aim again, I tackled him down and tried to wrestle the gun away. I'm surprised no one heard us honestly. Guess they were enticed by Weiss's beautiful singing." Weiss couldn't help the smile on her lips at the phrase as Naruto continued. "The plan to not disrupt the performance didn't work though. The Fang person and I wound up rolling off the rafter onto the stage. I did land on him though which knocked him out."

"I was surprised by a loud crash and turned to find a teenage boy getting off a grown man. At first, I thought Naruto was some kind of delinquent who had snuck in until I saw the uniform of the White Fang member. The guards had already rushed on stage to apprehend Naruto and the man, but I gave Naruto the chance to explain before being taken away. That is when I met Miss Rose as well as she had come out from behind stage with the theater owner. He confirmed having to hire Naruto and Miss Rose due to being shorthanded, and one of the other Fang members confessed in order to get a lighter sentence for their crime." Weiss finished for Naruto, "Naruto and Miss Rose only asked for a ride to Patch when a reward for their services was offered. I was quite surprised by this but gave it none the less. It was incredibly impressive that no one noticed their actions until Naruto's spill onto the stage. To take out sixteen armed assailants without a soul seeing or hearing their actions is impressive, especially when you consider Miss Rose wore armor."

"Wow!" Ruby commented as she turned to Naruto, "How did you take out sixteen people without being noticed?!"

"I only took out seven. Auntie got the other nine. It was only because we had been working on the stage that day really. We knew how to get around." Naruto said as he folded his arms behind his head, "I'd like to catch up more Weiss, but we need to get to the assembly. Want to meet up later?"

"Of course. I need to make sure my luggage is secure as well. I'm sure we'll all be busy for the day so I'll be sure to contact you another time." Weiss asked in a formal manner as she curtsied the two. She gave Ruby another quick stare she walked off along with her two butlers, who were pushing the previously mentioned cart of luggage.

"Great… not even here an hour and someone already thinks I'm special…" Ruby said in a sour tone.

Naruto watched Weiss walk away before he stated, "I wouldn't say she thinks you're special. Seemed more like she was measuring you up for something. Couldn't say what though."

"That seems even worse…" Ruby said quietly to herself. The two started to head off towards the school when yet another female voice called out.

"Excuse me!" Blake Belladonna said as she approached the two, "Sorry to interrupt, but I overheard you mention the White Fang earlier. Something about an assassination attempt?"

"Yeah, they attempted to take out Weiss who just left. Didn't they talk about it on the news?" Naruto asked. Summer had asked that her and Naruto's name private once the issue had been resolved. She and Naruto figured the incident itself would have at least made the news.

Blake seemed concerned as she grabbed her chin, _"They're getting more extreme…"_ It took her a moment to register what Naruto had asked, "No, it never did. I assume the Schnee family decided to keep it private to avoid speculation from the public."

"Oh… if that's the case, should we keep this between us?" Ruby asked. If Weiss's family didn't bring want it to be known, then Ruby definitely didn't want to be the person known who spread secrets.

Blake seemed to agree, "Yes, that would be the best." What neither Ruby nor Naruto knew is that Blake wanted this kept a secret for a different reason. The White Fang has sunken low enough in her mind. She didn't want to add to it even if she had left the group itself. "I'm sorry to hold you two up." Blake said suddenly before she walked off in a hurry.

"She's a rude one." Naruto commented considering Blake had never introduced herself. He took a look around before speaking to Ruby again, "So want to bet another person stops us in the next ten seconds?"

"You're on. There is no…" Ruby started to say only to stop as yet a third voice, this time a male's, called to them.

"Hey ugh… Do you two know where we go on campus?" The voice asked from behind the two approached. Naruto only smiled as he turned whereas Ruby actually looked annoyed at how she had instantly lost a bet. Ruby's annoyed stare shook the fellow blonde teen, Jaune Arc, for a moment before he apologized, "Sorry! I just… didn't hear where we are supposed to meet up while on the ship…"

"Probably because you were vomiting in a trash can." Naruto commented before he introduced himself, "Naruto Uzumaki."

"I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby said as her mood flipped. Even if she had lost a small bet, it was no reason to be mean to a new possible friend.

"Jaune Arc." Jaune said as offered his hand to shake.

"I'm not shaking that." Naruto stated bluntly, "Not until we find a bathroom for you to clean yourself in."

Ruby immediately retracted her hand from Jaune before the two could shake, "Gross!"

"Hey, I didn't puke on my hand!" Jaune said in an attempt to defend himself.

"You managed to puke on Ruby's sister's shoe while _covering_ your mouth." Naruto countered, putting emphasis on the word covering, "Anyway, we'll show you where to go. Just, don't touch us until you wash your hands… and gloves."

"Okay…" Jaune said in a depressed tone. As the three walked towards the auditorium, Jaune attempted to plead the case of his motion sickness, and how it was not his fault he got sick. "All I'm saying is that motion sickness a much more common problem than people let on!" Jaune said told the two leading him to the auditorium.

"And all I'm saying is that they do have a medicine for that." Naruto replied as he and Ruby walked in sync ahead of Jaune. Even his world had medicine to deal with motion sickness for those who couldn't handle horse drawn carriages. "Regardless of how sick you get, it's your fault if you don't take the medicine. You're lucky Yang was more concerned about her shoe or I'm sure she'd have punched you out the window."

"She wouldn't-." Jaune started to say only to be interrupted by Ruby

"She would, especially if you had been unlucky enough to get any in her hair. There would be a hole in the ship, and you would be swimming." Ruby stated without hesitation in a matter of fact tone. Honestly, it wasn't hard to imagine a Jaune sized imprint in one the ship windows.

- _Meanwhile with Summer:_ -

"This will be your class room." Ozpin said to Summer as he and Summer walked into the room. It had a standard desk set up with each desk raised higher the further back it was. The center of the room was larger than average size, giving room for sparring and technique demonstration. A large desk sat in front of the back wall with a terminal in the middle. Lastly on the wall were at four separate monitors. "You are free to decorate however you see fit."

"I'm just hoping I live up to your expectations. It has been some time since I've been a part of team activity." Summer said as she took a look around the classroom. She would have to get Taiyang to send a few things to make the room less formal.

"I recall you having one of the sharpest strategic minds in coordinating one's team and implementing on the fly plans of action. No doubt you have instilled this knowledge into your disciple yes?" Ozpin asked as he followed Summer inside before taking a drink of his hot chocolate.

"As much as I could." Summer admitted, "There is only so much one can teach in an improper environment. Naruto had… conditions that prevented him from learning in a proper team environment." Summer continued as she looked to the floor. Truth be told when properly taught Naruto soaked up knowledge like a sponge. However when no child was allowed to be around Naruto growing up, and even when he was placed on a genin team there seemed to be a void with Naruto and other people. Sakura, Naruto's previous crush, was obsessed with her other teammate Sasuke. Summer had managed to help Naruto gain his first and only date with Sakura after a bit of coaching. Unfortunately, despite Summer witnessing a rather well executed first date attempt, Sakura turned Naruto down for a second stating she couldn't commit until she had a chance with Sasuke. Summer, while she could understand where the young girl was coming from in that aspect, didn't agree with it. _"You at least give a man a three date minimum if the first one is good."_ Summer thought to herself in a bitter tone before her train a thought continued. Getting Naruto and Sasuke to work together seemed like a miracle. One she would never understand how Kakashi had managed to pull off.

"Miss Rose?" Ozpin called out, snapping Summer out of her memories, "I seemed to have triggered some rather deep memories. I apologize if I brought on anything painful."

"No, no. Nothing painful for me per say. Just how difficult of a life my disciple has had due to ignorance of others. Still, that is in the past and now is a time to focus on the future. I promise to do my very best to embed my knowledge among the students." Summer promised as she rested her hand on her chest.

Ozpin smiled at Summer's commitment, "That is good to hear. I should head to the assembly then. It wouldn't do well for morale if the headmaster was to be late." Ozpin stated as he turned for the door, "If you need anything, contact Glynda or my self directly. Be well Miss Rose, and welcome back to Beacon." Ozpin said as he exited the class room.

Summer smiled softly at Ozpin's display of affection. It wasn't rare for him to show love to his students, former or current. It was still just as comforting to come back into her life so easily. Almost too easily… _"I really hope things continue to go this smoothly."_ Summer thought with a deep sigh. Soon she would have to start searching for another dust cluster to take Naruto home. When that happened, she would have to say goodbye for good possibly. Yet, Summer somehow seemed to instinctively know that it won't be near that easy. "… Man, I'm being really pessimistic lately. I need to be more positive!" Summer exclaimed to herself before she patted her own cheeks, "Alright! Time to get this place ready for class in two days!" Summer moved behind the desk and booted up the terminal. She had to make sure her first lesson was ready for her class. The most important lesson she felt her students would need to know; Knowing the weaknesses of their team and how to improve it. After all one's strengths don't matter if their Achilles heel is left unguarded.

Meanwhile, Ruby, Naruto, and Jaune had found their way to the auditorium. Once they walked inside they heard Yang calling their names. The two turned to see her jumping a bit so she could be seen above the crowd, "I saved you two a spot!"

"Whelp we gotta go! See you after the ceremony!" Ruby said before she pulled Naruto along with her towards Yang so as not to lose him in the crowd.

Naruto simply waved at Jaune as he was pulled along. Jaune sighed in depression as suddenly being abandoned, muttering about finding a nice quirky girl and cool guy to talk to again. He wasn't aware of a certain famous red head watching him from afar. As Ruby and Naruto joined Yang, she asked, "So how was the first day for you two?"

"Not bad considering you ditched us." Ruby said with a bit of snark, "Did find out that Naruto and Mom stopped an assassination attempt on someone important. I think Naruto called her Weiss?"

"Weiss Schnee? As in the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company?" Yang asked, looking impressed seeing as that was the only important person she could think of as important who was named Weiss. Anyone who needed to buy dust learned of who the Schnee family was. Ruby is one of the special exceptions cause all her dust purchases were related to weapons and therefore she cared about nothing else at that moment.

"It's a long story. The short version is Auntie and I needed money to travel to Patch from Atlas. We took a small job in town and wound up stopping the attempt on Weiss's life. Don't go spreading this around though. Weiss's family didn't say anything about it I guess they want it to be kept private." Naruto explained. He figured Ruby would tell Yang, being family and all.

"Why were you and Mom in Atlas?" Yang asked. Ruby turned to Naruto, curious about the question as well.

"Well, when Auntie and I used the dust crystal found in my village, it transported us on to some kind of mountain. At first, we didn't even know we were in Remnant until the Grimm showed up. We had no idea where to so we climbed down and picked a random direction to follow. We eventually found a railway and followed it to Atlas." Naruto said told her.

"Oh. So when working in Atlas, you got caught up in that mess and did something about it." Yang finished, "So… why didn't Mom call Dad or something? He would have helped out."

"Problem was convincing him it was really his wife." Naruto answered, "Think about it. Auntie went missing for seven years and suddenly calls saying she's in another city with a blonde kid who none of you had met before then? That could lead to a lot of bad assumptions." Ruby and Yang thought about it for a moment. What would they have thought if they found Summer in Atlas with Naruto in tow?

"I… probably would have thought she had abandoned us at some point." Ruby answered honestly. If her father had told them about the hypothetical call, she could have thought many negative things until she actually got to address her mother in person. "That or something worse…"

"Exactly." Naruto continued, "Auntie figured it was better to explain in person rather than give time for everyone to assume the worst. Sometimes shock can be a good thing. It will stop your mind from turning but still let you retain information. Though… that won't stop you from saying some harsh things if you lose your cool anyway." Naruto said, quietly adding the last part more to himself than anything as he remembered blaming Tsunade for Jiraiya's death.

Before Yang or Ruby could question further, Ozpin appeared on stage. He cleared his voice into the microphone to get the attention of his would-be students, "I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step." With that Ozpin walked away from the microphone, letting Glynda take over. She informed the student body of the gathering in the ballroom for the night and initiation the following day before she dismissed the student body.

"He seemed kind of… off." Yang commented as she looked towards Ruby and Naruto.

"Almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby finished for her sister.

Naruto hummed to himself for a moment before he replied, "He wasn't. He must have gotten some disturbing news before hand… Still, it's not really any of our business right now. Explore the school grounds a bit?" Naruto asked. He planned to do it rather the siblings decided to tag along or not, it was only polite to offer.

The siblings agreed seeing as they had nothing better to do. Of course, they would have to first they would all have to get their locker assignment number. Can't be wandering around the campus fully armed. At least unless you were Naruto, who kept kunai hidden up his sleeve as an emergency measure. Naruto couldn't help the chuckle at just how many weapons were actually hidden in his jacket. The teacher would have one hell of a time finding them all.

After a day of exploring campus, the three split off to get changed for the night of sleep in the ballroom. Naruto, once changed after a nice shower, headed over to his sleeping back next to Ruby and Yang. Wearing average plain blue button up pajamas and a frog sleeping cap, he arrived just in time to see Ruby throw a pillow into Yang's face for teasing her about writing to her friends back at Signal, "Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird knowing fewer people than Naruto here."

Naruto wasn't sure if that was an insult or not but made himself known none the less, "To be fair I really wouldn't say I know anyone besides you and Yang. Weiss is really only an acquaintance and Jaune is… Not sure yet." Naruto said as he flopped down next to Ruby, "Still, it's cool of you to write back to your friends. I'm sure they'll enjoy your letters. I wish I could write home."

Ruby smiled at the compliment, "Thanks. Say Naruto, what is your home like? You haven't talked about it much."

"Oh, well… My village works more or less like being a huntsman or huntress. The village takes on missions from people in our country and nearby smaller countries who don't have a ninja village. The village charges based on the difficulty of the mission. It's a flawed system though because some countries can't afford high difficulty missions, so they lie about the mission itself. That happened to my former team's first C rank mission. Turns out the mission was an A rank since we had to deal with rogue ninjas. Rogue ninjas are warriors who betrayed their villages for their own reasons."

"Back up." Yang interrupted, "Former team?"

Naruto paused before he sighed, "I'd rather not talk about that right now. It's… a sour subject."

"Um… so what happened on this mission?" Ruby asked, changing the subject. It was starting to become a special skill of hers.

"Well, a drunken old man put the mission in to get an escort back to his village in the land of waves so he could finish building a bridge. What he didn't tell us was that he was being hunted by a business man who hired a rogue ninja to stop the bridge from being built so he could keep his strangle hold on the country. We found out the hard way when two rogue ninjas attacked us. My team leader, Kakashi, pretended to be killed so he could see who their target was since ninja attacking other ninja was a common issue. My old teammate Sasuke and I repelled the attack easily while Sakura, my last teammate, guarded the bridge builder." Naruto told them.

"So what did you do about the mission? I mean, what happens when someone lies about the mission difficulty?" Yang asked.

"Well normally the mission is canceled and we return home, which part of the flaw. Desperate places can't afford the missions they really need. Still, Kakashi let us decide on what to do after hearing the old man's story. We decided to help him out anyway despite the lies. We got attacked by an infamous rogue ninja called Zabuza. He made the area around us very foggy before he and my leader fought before he captured Kakashi. He then made a clone out of the water and used that to attack us instead while he held my leader down. I caught him off guard by using Maelstrom, since he'd never seen a gun before. Two shots and Kakashi was set free. One on the water clone and the second one went through his shoulder. Zabuza retreated and we continued onto the bridge. We rested at the bridge builders house and trained during our free time. One day I spent too much time training and when I got back to the village I found the village under attack by some of the goons of the business man. I can't remember his name…" Naruto said with a pause before he shrugged and continued, "Anyway I found out my team was on the bridge so I hightailed it over there. When I arrived I found Sasuke under attack by a Zabuza's apprentice in a dome of ice mirrors. I dived into the fray to help Sasuke. Things didn't go well at first. The rogue ninja named Haku knew about Maelstrom and kept throwing senbon into my arm. Honestly, I thought Sasuke and I were going to die… That's when I awakened my aura and semblance."

"You didn't have them before hand? Why didn't Mom awaken them for you?" Ruby asked.

"She didn't know how it would affect my chakra at the time and didn't want to risk it doing more harm than good. She tried to do research on it but nothing was conclusive. Auntie thinks that because she used her aura when we would train, I reacted to it and eventually awaken my own when I was in a stressful situation. Anyway, thanks to my newfound aura and semblance, I was able to stop Haku's attacks. Sasuke had awakened to his family's special trait, the Sharingan, which is basically like super vision. It would take a while to explain that one, so I'm gonna skip over it for now. Sasuke used his eyes to direct me to a clear shot and then… I killed Haku." Naruto stated in a sad tone. Ruby and Yang had a feeling there was more to this story than Naruto was letting on, but decided not to ask. It wasn't their room to pry. "Kakashi took care of Zabuza himself. Shortly afterward that business guy showed up with an army of goons. Kakashi and I chased off the goons by making an army of clones. They didn't even try when we filled the bridge with copies of us all armed and ready to fight. Afterward, the villagers showed up and since all of that creepy business guy's goons split, the villagers captured him and had him executed. After a day of rest, we returned to the village."

"You… killed a person? Just like that?" Yang asked a bit unnerved that her fellow blonde had actually killed a person.

"I didn't have a choice. Fights like that happen all the time in my world. Auntie drilled that into my head early on." Naruto answered as he rolled over away from the two.

"To… hurt people?" Ruby asked, afraid of the answer.

"No." Naruto replied, "To do what I have to do to protect my companions. Sometimes… that meant doing some horrible things…" Naruto said as he covered himself with his sleeping bag, "I'm going to sleep. I'll see you two in the morning."

Ruby and Yang watched with concern as Naruto tried to fall asleep, both thinking along the same lines. Just what kind of world did Naruto grow up in? At first, it sounds like a paradise, having no Grimm to worry about. But now that definitely wasn't the case anymore.

* * *

 **Sorry if that last bit seems rushed. I wanted to finish before crunch time at work (gonna be a busy week -)**

 **To address one person, Vipre-Vassago: No, I meant for her to have a Zweihander that can split into two blades if needed, but function best as one sword, or two separate revolvers. I never said the revolvers were small and besides, have you seen how small Crescent Rose gets? O.o**

 **That should cover everything. This chapter was mostly filler and explaining. Next one is where the action starts.**


	3. Initiation day!

**So far so good! Now for the fun part!**

 **Quick tidbit. If I don't cover something in the RWBY-verse, then it happens the same way as the show has it happen. Naruto-verse, however, is not that way. A lot of things have changed Naruto-verse wise, I just haven't revealed it all yet :3**

 **One last thing, I will focus on Team RWBY more so than other teams. Rest assured other teams will have their moment but not too often.**

* * *

" _Did you hear? That Naruto kid succeeded in retrieving the last Uchiha but…"_

" _He took it way too far! What was Tsunade thinking sending that demon on that mission?!_

" _I feel bad for Naruto honestly. If it had been anyone else the traitor would have been killed with no exception. To see how people are treating him…_

" _I'm sorry Naruto but can you… just leave me alone for today?"_

" _I swear that I will kill you one day Naruto!"_

Naruto gasped as he sat up. "Ugh… stupid dreams…" Naruto muttered as he pulled his sleeping cap off and ran his hand through his hair. The recurring nightmare that always seems to come around when he thought about certain events of his past. It was definitely not a memory he was fond of. The mission to retrieve Sasuke. It was a success, but it had cost him a team in the process. Sasuke was no longer eligible for work as a shinobi for Konoha and because of the condition Naruto delivered him in, Sakura had grown distant. Kakashi congratulated Naruto on a mission well done. Sasuke… he had become resentful to the core, swearing he would take Naruto's life one day as a result. It was clear that whatever friendship the two rivals shared was no more. Jiraiya offered to take Naruto and Summer on a training journey a day later. He felt time outside of the village and away from all the controversy would do Naruto some good and would help him focus on training. Naruto agreed on the trip after some convincing from Summer.

" _I need to clear my head._ " Naruto thought as he climbed to his feet. He took a quick glance around the room only to see he was one of the first people awake as dawn just broken. Naruto silently made his way around the sleeping bodies, ignoring the conscious people as he exited the ballroom. The brisk morning air and cold concrete helped Naruto wake up a bit more as he walked in the court yard. He soon found himself in front of the school statue.

"Naruto? What are you doing out already?" Naruto turned around to see Summer walking up behind him, fully dressed for combat, "The initiation is in a couple hours. You should…" Summer stopped when she noticed the small bags under Naruto's eyes, "… Bad dreams again?"

"Yeah. The one after I stopped Sasuke from deserting." Naruto said before he rubbed his eye. "I still got a decent amount of sleep so I should be fine for today." Naruto added after he let out a small yawn, "I think I'm going to burn off some steam today…"

Summer immediately knew what Naruto meant by that statement. She let out a sigh as she crossed her arms, "May as well save it for the initiation then. No point in burning the energy otherwise." Summer said before she smiled, "Just try not to go overboard. It wouldn't do well to terrify everyone at the school." Summer finished. Naruto's abilities were already going to get a lot of attention once he used them. To add that he could easily level the school if he really wanted to… That was best-kept a secret for now.

"Not my fault if they get scared. Still, I'll keep it low key. No giant explosions unless absolutely necessary." Naruto replied, getting a laugh at the annoyed face Summer made to his comment. Naruto turned back to the statue, "Auntie… do you think I could have done the mission to catch Sasuke differently?"

Summer walked up next to Naruto and simply gave him a light slap to the back of the head. Naruto swore under his breath before he turned to Summer while holding the back of his head. Summer looked at her disciple with stern eyes, "What I think is that second guessing what you did is bad for you. Sasuke left you no choice in the matter and now he has to pay the consequences. The bastard should be grateful he is even alive. If it wasn't for what you and the others went through to retrieve him… I'd have shot him between the eyes myself!" Naruto wasn't surprised by Summer's statement. She had made her dislike of Sasuke well known after the retrieval mission. Summer also came to dislike Sakura as well, but to a lesser extent. Summer let out a sigh as she draped an arm around Naruto's shoulder and pulled him into a gentle hug, "No matter how it turned out Naruto, be proud of what you accomplished. You did what many others couldn't have done. You brought him back alive and kept your promise. You've stayed true to your ninja way." She said as she managed to draw a smile back out of Naruto.

"Thanks, Auntie. I needed that." Naruto said as he broke the hug, "I'd better hurry back and get ready. See you after the initiation!" He said before running off back to the ballroom.

"That boy." Summer whispered to herself with a smile and a shake of her head. Naruto was the only person she knew who could be cheered up so easily. Not that it was a bad thing. The world just wasn't the same if he didn't have that big goofy grin on his face. That grin is something she wanted to protect. Naruto already knew how dark the world could be from first-hand experience, and yet Summer still wanted to bear the weight of his burdens. _"Just part of being a parent and teacher I suppose."_ She thought before she resumed her walk towards the Ozpin's office for the faculty meeting. A sudden ring from her scroll made Summer jump slightly. _"Who is calling me this early?"_ Summer thought as she pulled out the scroll to see "Tai" on the screen. "Yes, dear?"

" _Hey, sorry for the early call but it's the only time I have today since Signal's semester starts soon. I have the stuff you wanted. I'll have it sent tomorrow."_

"Thank you. You didn't have to rush you know. I can make due for a few days without it."

" _I know, but I felt it better to get it done now before I have to start grading papers… Also, I tried sending a message about your return to Qrow but… it seems like he's gone dark."_

"… I see. All we can do is hope for his safe return in the meantime isn't it?"

" _Yeah. Don't worry too much. Qrow hasn't lost his step. He fights as good now while he's drunk as he did when he was sober seven years ago!"_

"That's… rather impressive. Wait why would that be relevant? Did he develop a drinking problem?"

" _That's not important right now."_ Taiyang replied, causing Summer to look annoyed. She could tell he was changing the subject as he continued, _"The important thing is to know he can take care of himself just fine. If anyone ever has to fight sober Qrow… I'd pray for them even if they're my enemy."_

"He's improved that much has he? I'll have to step up my game then. Wouldn't do me any good to be the weak link of the team when I'm the leader." Summer said with a chuckle. It was amusing because she still hadn't shown Taiyang all the tricks she had learned from Naruto's world. Boy, would he be in for a surprise one day. "Thanks for the call Tai, but I need to get to the faculty meeting. Love you, honey!"

" _Love you too dear!"_ With that, the call ended.

Summer only giggled to herself more, _"If I hadn't ended that call, Tai would have probably forgotten about the semester starting."_

Meanwhile, Naruto re-entered the ballroom to see more students had started to get ready. In particular was one orange haired girl near the back wall that was literally warping around another rather tired looking boy in what Naruto could only guess was some kind of traditional looking outfit considering how much it stood out from the others he had seen. _"I can't tell if he's tired from waking up or tired from the girl…"_ Naruto thought before he went on about his business.

"Naruto! Hurry and get dressed so we can get breakfast!" Ruby called from across the room, already having changed at some point. Naruto chuckled and after getting out of his pajamas joined the hood wearing weapons dork and her beloved sister.

After a nice breakfast, the three retrieved their gear from the locker room. Naruto stopped and watched the same pair from earlier walk by, "I thought I was hyper when I was younger…"

"I don't think anyone can be more hyper than her." Yang commented before she addressed on how rather cheerful Naruto and Ruby were being throughout the morning, "So you two seem awfully chipper this morning."

"I'm just happy to get out some pent up energy really! Just me, some Grimm, and a whole lot of chaos!" Naruto said with his usual grin. Truthfully he enjoyed fighting the Grimm. They were just creatures that wanted to hurt people, so he had no problem cutting them down. Considering how he always had to fight people back in the Shinobi nations, it was a nice change of pace for the warrior.

"I'm with you on that one Naruto! Don't have to worry about expectations or random people! Instead, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking!" Ruby exclaimed as she pulled Crescent Rose out of her locker and nestled it lovingly.

Naruto, while he understood the girl's love for her weapon, couldn't stop the nervous bead of sweat from rolling down the back of his head, "Just… make sure it talks to Grimm more than people."

"She. Crescent Rose is a she." Ruby corrected Naruto, which only made the bead of sweat bigger. He didn't reply for a moment as he strapped his sheath to his belt.

"You know, you two aren't the only two going through initiation. Naruto gets along with people fine, but Ruby, you should meet new people and learn to work together if you want to grow up." Yang said, focusing more on her younger sister rather than Naruto. Ruby had a small problem being social and Yang was pretty sure if it wasn't for Naruto being around, Ruby's first day would have been vastly different.

"Ugh, you sound like dad!" Ruby said annoyed as she slammed Crescent Rose into her locker, "Okay, first of all, what does meeting people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk!" Ruby said with her arms crossed while thinking she had won the debate.

"Well if I hadn't met Auntie and a few other people, I probably wouldn't be able to fight as well as I do now." Naruto countered, effectively destroying Ruby's argument, "Never underestimate how much one person can change your life, Ruby."

"See? Naruto gets it. Besides, what about when we form teams?" Yang added.

Ruby looked away nervously at the question, "Uh, I don't know… I'll just be on your or Naruto's team… or something."

"The teams are random." Naruto stated as he closed his locker, which shocked Yang and Ruby. Both girls stared at Naruto in disbelief before he explained, "Auntie Summer told me stories about her attending Beacon years ago. I can't remember quite how it works, but I do remember her saying that teams are formed randomly." Ruby's world shattered in an instant. Would she be placed on a team with random people? Naruto didn't notice Ruby's distraught face as he looked away in thought, "Well… we may be on the same team if we're lucky but the odds are really low." Naruto said before he spotted Jaune attempt to hit on Weiss; rather poorly in his mind. _"Train wreck inbound."_

"Naruto! You have to help me be on a team with you or Yang! You have one of those ninja tricks that can help right?!" Ruby shouted as she grabbed Naruto's arm and shook him violently.

"No, I don't." Naruto stated calmly as he stopped Ruby from shaking him further, "While there are techniques called genjutsu that could trick even Ozpin into putting us all on a team, it would be wrong to use. Besides that, he would realize what had happened the moment I stop the jutsu or I slip up with it. Most importantly… I have absolutely no talent with genjutsu at all, so even if I did want to use the genjutsu… I can't." Naruto finished as he continued to watch Jaune fail at impressing the heiress. Jaune then moved onto the red head as well when she mentioned the teams being comprised of four students.

"Ohhhh… what am I going to do…?!" Ruby said quietly in a panic.

Yang put a hand on Ruby's shoulder in hopes of calming down her sister, "Ruby, take a breath. Everything will work out fine, even if we're all on separate teams. It's not like we'll be forced to stay away from each other." Yang said before she spotted a familiar white cloak approaching, "Mom! What are you doing here?"

Summer smiled as she was greeted by Yang, "Oh I just thought I'd check in on you three. Also, make sure Naruto isn't causing trouble."

"Hey. I haven't had a need to prank anyone yet." Naruto said with a pout before he went back to watching Jaune's attempts at flirting

"It's the 'yet' that has me concerned." Summer said with a laugh, "So are you three ready for initiation?"

"Ruby is having a meltdown over the team placement." Yang said as she kept her sister close by leaving her arm hooked around Ruby's neck.

Ruby struggled to get free for a moment before she finally released, "I'm not having a meltdown! I just… want to be on a team where I know at least one person…"

"Life isn't always fair that way Ruby. However…" Summer trailed off as she took a quick look around. Seeing no other instructor around, she pulled Ruby close and whispered, "All I can say is if you want Naruto on your team, follow the chaos."

"Huh?" Ruby replied as her mother let her go. What did she mean by follow the chaos? Was Naruto going to do some more of his awesome skills?

"Anyway, I just came to wish you all luck. Since I've become a teacher, I can't interfere unless you're on the brink of death. If that happens, you'll be sent home. Still, your only opponents will be Grimm so it shouldn't be anything too difficult for you all." Summer said with a smile as she ruffles Ruby's hair a bit.

"We got it covered Auntie. Oh, did you talk to Ozpin about…" Naruto started to ask only to be interrupted.

"Yes Naruto, I told him on how your stay would most likely be temporary. He assured me that it wouldn't be a problem. No doubt he has some master plan in his mind. Ozpin sees the world like a chess board, always trying to stay three moves ahead." Summer replied. Naruto nodded and went back to watching the attempts of Jaune just in time to see him be pinned to the wall by a spear from the red haired girl. Summer had witnessed it too and stifled a laugh, "Seems like someone is having a bad first day. Anyway, I need to hurry. I'll see you all after initiation." Summer said as she walked off in a hurry. Wouldn't do well to be late on her first day as a teacher.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation?" Glynda Goodwitch called from over the intercom system. The three teens had a laugh when Summer swore out loud before she sprinted off in a hurry as the message repeated.

The three teens walked up to Jaune, who sat with his back against a pillar after the red haired girl, the famous Pyrrha Nikos, took her spear back. "Having some trouble there, Ladykiller?" Yang asked with an amused smile. Clearly, she had witnessed the entire event as well.

"I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?" Jaune asked as Naruto and Ruby helped him to his feet.

"Confidence Jaune, not cockiness. Big difference there. Unless you have shown the bite to back up the bark, everything you said to Weiss is basically hot air." Naruto stated as he and Ruby started to walk him to the door.

"Snow angel probably didn't help." Yang chimed in as she walked ahead.

"That too. If you really want to impress Weiss, take it from me. Show your skills then talk to her." Naruto added as the four of them headed towards the cliffs.

 _Cliffside:_

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin informed the students.

" _If only he knew how young we graduate in Konoha."_ Naruto thought while he looked down at the squares he and the other students were standing on. What were they for?

"Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignments of teams." Glynda took over, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… Today." Ruby's nerves came back at the mention of teams.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon unless circumstances would say otherwise." Ozpin stated, sparing a glance at Naruto. The blonde chuckled nervously at this. What did Summer tell him, and more importantly, was Ozpin angry about it? It was extremely difficult to tell with that man. "It is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

" _Oh yeah. That's how it works."_ Naruto thought as he shrugged. He already had a plan of action on what he would be doing. While finding a teammate would be ideal, he still wanted to burn off some energy and stress from his bad dream. The best way to do that was to vent on some Grimm.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." Ozpin continued.

" _Wouldn't be a warrior school without the threat of death would it?"_ Naruto thought as looked up and down the row of students. Blake was at the far end, and a few down from her was Weiss in the middle of the line next to the polite Pyrrha. One person Naruto hadn't seen yet, the hyper Nora, quiet Ren, and another person Naruto hadn't seen. They all seemed like they could hold their own at least.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked. Jaune raised his hand and attempted to speak, only to be ignored as Ozpin said, "Good! Now, take your positions."

Everyone assumed a ready stance, except for Jaune who was clearly confused about the entire situation. He watched the squares fire off the students one by one. A very effective way to get a bunch of kids into a forest filled with deadly monsters. "See you later ladies!" Naruto said as before he fired off over the forest.

Yang smiled and gave her sister a wink before she quickly put on her aviators and was fired off. She had her own plan after hearing Ozpin's explanation of teams. With a little planning, she might be able to get her sister paired up with the blonde who launched before her. Ruby launched right after with her eyes focused on Naruto and Yang. If she could find where they landed, she could team up with them easier. Jaune launched last like a rag doll since he had been taken by surprise.

Naruto smirked as he looked down at the forest below. It was barely noticeable, but trees were rustling. A pack of Grimm was already going after him and the other students. To both Yang's and Ruby's surprise, Naruto suddenly used his semblance to blast himself straight down with the wind. The two only watched as he disappeared into the tree line. Naruto pulled Maelstrom out and immediately deployed the blade as he plummeted through the leaves. The second he passed through, a lone Ursa leaped up to try and snag its prey, only to receive a blade through its armored head. _"Gotta love wind power!"_ Naruto thought as he cleaved the Ursa's head in half before he vaulted off the now dead creature and sped off into the forest. A quick glance behind showed Naruto that more than just an Ursa had been nearby as the bushes rustled continuously behind and around him. Soon enough a Beowolf leaped out of the brush ahead of him in an attempt at a surprise attack. Naruto smirked as he switched weapon modes and slid under the beast and delivered a well-placed bullet into its jaw. The creature's body tumbled forward as Naruto climbed back to his feet and continued to sprint around the trees. What he needed was a decent clearing to fight in.

Naruto continued to lead the ever growing hoard of Grimm. The forest behind was becoming consumed with a black mist as the creatures all focused on the blonde. _"That's a lot of Grimm! It's almost like in Atlas again!"_ Naruto thought as he took another hard left to avoid an oncoming pack of Grimm. He had to be close to thirty by now, and that number was only growing. Naruto only smiled at the increasing number of enemies. He hadn't intended for this many, but Summer couldn't get mad at him for explosions at this point. All he needed was a decent location to cut loose.

Naruto managed to put a small distance between himself and the Grimm before his plan hit a small hitch as he came into a small opening in the forest at the same time as Ruby and Weiss. The two girls hadn't noticed each other as they both had looked at Naruto the moment they exited the brush. "Naruto!" Ruby exclaimed happily before she and Weiss took notice of each other.

Of course, the moment was cut short as Naruto shouted, "Shadow clone jutsu!" The two girls both turned to Naruto just in time to be scooped up by the boy and his one clone. "Sorry about this, but there is a big mess behind me!"

"Put me down!" Weiss yelled at the clone as she and Ruby carried bridal style. However, her demand quickly changed when she noticed a large amount of Grimm chasing after the blonde, "Run faster!"

"Working on it! We need a good opening to fight them all!" The clone replied as he leaped over a charging Creep, landing on a tree branch with the original.

Ruby looked at the hoard in surprise. She could handle a couple dozen Grimm easily herself, but not quite this many at once. "I saw a clearing not far from here! It's that way!" She yelled as she pointed in a direction. Naruto and his clone both switched directions, keeping ahead of the hoard the entire time.

"You are going to explain this once we take care of these Grimm!" Weiss yelled at Naruto as gripped her weapon hilt. She would have to be ready the moment Naruto set her down. Weiss could move quickly, but there was no way she could keep this kind of speed up for a long period, where Naruto didn't even seem winded. Not to mention the amount of glyphs she would need to use to travel from tree to tree like he was doing right now.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's stay alive first" The original shouted just before he and the clone broke through the tree line. He landed and stopped in the middle of the clearing, spinning on his feet as he slid to a stop. He set Ruby and Weiss down, who armed themselves as they all turned back to the forest where the Grimm were pouring out of. It was only then they got a good look at the number of Grimm Naruto unintentionally had attracted. Beowolves, Ursas, Creeps, King Taijitus, and Boarbatusk.

"I'm going to fight. If you're going to run now's the time." Naruto said as he readied Maelstrom to be swung and a breeze blowing around to show his semblance being active.

"And let you have all the fun?" Ruby said with a smile as she checked inside Crescent Rose's clip to count the rounds. She wasn't about to pass up this slaughter Grimm fest.

Weiss looked at the two as she assumed her fencing stance, "I take it you have a plan of attack to take out this many Grimm?"

"Multi-shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he formed the modified ram sign. A large cloud of smoke erupted around the three as one fifty clones appeared. Naruto and his army switched Maelstrom to gun mode and aimed, all sporting a smile. "Fire!" Naruto shouted as the Grimm broke through the trees. A large number of the monsters were met with a barrage of bullets from the clones, as well as Ruby. The beowolves took the brunt of the attack since, being the faster Grimm, were leading the charge. The clones popped out of existence the moment they emptied their clip while Naruto and Ruby reloaded. "Stay close and watch each other's back!" Naruto ordered before he switched Maelstrom back to its blade mode.

A second later both Naruto and Weiss saw a blur of red speed by as Ruby charged the remains of the Grimm hoard. Naruto sighed a bit with a smile while Weiss looked surprised, "Is she insane charging in like that?!"

"No, she's just her mother's daughter." Naruto said with a laugh, "Weiss can you use long range attacks?" Weiss nodded to Naruto, who formed two more shadow clones, "Cover us, and they'll cover you!" Naruto said before he charged into the fray. Weiss was surprised for a moment before she readied Myrtenaster for long range combat by cycling through its dust chambers. At least one of those two seemed smart enough to what he was doing.

Ruby was really enjoying herself as she cut through an Ursa with ease. She had found a partner she liked, and now she got to cut down a lot of Grimm. Considering how her day could have gone, it was a rather nice turn for the young huntress in training. Firing off another round of her weapon during a swing, another pair of the remaining beowolves was cleaved in two by her massive scythe. Ruby was so distracted by her thoughts she neglected one of the most essential lessons of her training; to watch your back. A Creep had managed to make its way to her blind spot and attempted to attack, only to be met with an orange and black blade. The creature fell over dead as Naruto leaped over the teenage girl and stole her next kill. "Hey! That one was mine!" Ruby yelled as Naruto used a force of wind to blow back the nearby Grimm, which stunned them all.

Summer sighed as she watched the fight on a live feed from her new scroll as she stood high in a tree on a large branch. If not for Naruto's intervention, Ruby would have been in a very bad position. "I see one of Qrow's bad habits rubbed off on Ruby… I'll have to break that. I swear Qrow if my daughter becomes an alcoholic because of you I will detox you in the worst way." Summer commented as she ran a hand through her hair. That was going to be a lot of training sessions. It took her almost a year to get Naruto to not act recklessly when she first started to train him. To be reckless puts one's self and their team at risk especially when facing other people. Thankfully Naruto was there to watch her daughter's blind sides.

Summer watched as Naruto and Ruby started to work together as Weiss used her abilities to keep the Grimm from surrounding the two. This plan, while effective, would only hold out so long. Naruto could continue easily keep going for hours and had experience in working in a squad, but Summer had only a month to see Ruby's skill level. In solo combat, Ruby excelled while she seemed to lack in active teamwork. On top of that, Summer only had Weiss's entrance exam stats to go on. High marks on her exams, above average in combat. It was noted her stamina was considerably lower than other examinees, but she made up for it with high switched back to the battle footage to see Naruto cleave through three Grimm in one motion with his wind semblance. He ducked a second later as Ruby did a full circle cleave to clear the remaining Grimm from around them. The two were getting into sync with each other's movements. Naruto would weave in and out of Ruby's attacks, easily taking out two or more Grimm at a time as Weiss picked off stray Grimm with her long range attacks. This was where the difference between Ruby's and Naruto's training was obvious.

Ruby's training was clearly more focused to fight Grimm. Creatures that were over all predictable in both purpose and actions. Summer paused for a moment before she took a step forward with a spin that flung the end of her cloak up into the air. A small Nevermore Grimm flew out from under the cloak a second later as it missed in its attempt at an attack. The monster's effort was rewarded by a wing being cleaved off by Summer. "Predictable…" Summer muttered as she switched weapon modes and blasted the remains of the Nevermore. Feathers scattered into the air as the small monster was finished off by the large caliber round.

That is why Naruto so effortlessly adapted to Ruby's combat style. It too is predictable. Wide arc attacks that used the recoil of her rifle to increase the force behind the swing. A flaw Summer could already see was if any Grimm or person had the speed to get close. The blade of Ruby's weapon wouldn't be effective against any close range attackers. Summer had little doubt that her daughter already knew this, however. No, it was more of a question of if she had ever sparred with someone who could get past her defenses and close that distance that intended to win. Summer pulled up a small note application on the scroll and started to make a list of noticeable weaknesses of her possible students. This would help her address team issues on the first day. Summer wanted to keep watching the fight, but she knew she had to check the other students as well. She switched camera feeds and cycled through quickly if they were not in a battle.

Meanwhile, Yang and Blake, having met up after dealing with a pair of Ursa, turned to the sounds of combat. "That's a lot of gun fire. Should we check it out?" Yang asked her new partner. They were supposed to find the ruins, but the echoes of gunfire had been happening for some time. Other students could be in trouble, or as Yang feared, Ruby could be in trouble. Those bullets were rather loud which could only mean it was a high caliber weapon being fired.

"Are you worried about someone?" Blake asked. It was unusual for someone to be worried about strangers, especially when they were all trained fighters.

"My little sister is a part of the incitation too. She's a total weapons dork and a bit of a Grimm slaying maniac. I'm worried because I haven't seen her yet…" Yang admitted. Ruby would be the type of person to get in over her head when fighting Grimm.

Blake smiled softly as she walked pass Yang towards the direction of the gun fire, "Let's go then." She said before she ran into the trees.

"Wait up!" Yang yelled as she chased after her partner. Blake was pretty cool for helping her find Ruby, Yang had to admit that. The two hurried to the battlefield only to be shocked when they arrived. Naruto, Ruby, and Weiss surrounded by a large pile of Grimm corpses that were steadily disappearing and a small number of active Grimm trying to kill them. "Ruby!" Yang yelled before she propelled herself into the fray without warning using Ember Celica. Blake rolled her eyes at her partner's impulse before she charged in behind her. She would be able to get around these Grimm with ease.

"Ruby! Up!" Naruto commanded before he and Ruby separated to avoid the first head of a King Taijitsu. Ruby launched high into the air as Naruto jumped to the side. The Taijitsu's head slammed into the ground and was met at the back of the neck by Naruto's blade. Naruto severed one head of the snake as the second rose up to attack. It didn't get far however as it was hit in the eye by one of Weiss's attacks. As it flailed around in pain, Ruby came down with a rifle enhanced slash and cut off the second head. The two took a second to catch their breaths before they jumped away from more Grimm. This fight was starting to drag on longer than Naruto wanted. His stamina was fine, but he had no idea how long Ruby and Weiss could last. Granted Weiss was only doing long range attacks at the moment so her endurance should be fine at the moment.

"I'm running out of bullets." Ruby commented as she changed clips again. This was her last normal clip with the only other being her special rounds. A lot more power and there for a lot more recoil.

"I've still got half remaining and one extra… Incoming!" Naruto yelled as a Boartusk ramped off the remains of the Taijitsu at the pair. Naruto and Ruby both went to block the attack. The Grimm didn't succeed however as a blur of yellow crashed into its side.

A shotgun blast sent the Boartusk crashing across the ground. Yang flipped her hair back when she landed and smiled at the pair, "Finally found you! I should have known you'd get caught up in a mess." Yang said in jest as she looked around at the corpses before turning to the remaining Grimm. There was only a small number left to be slain and they all didn't seem any happier to see her. Speaking of which… where was her partner? Said partner made herself known as she took out a small Beowolf that had been attempting to sneak up on the distracted heiress and her guards. Weiss jumped at the thud of the body falling over as Blake walked past her to Yang. "We got the rest. Take a breather." Yang said as she and Blake charged at the remaining Grimm.

Blake aimed for the smaller Grimm as Yang proceeded to combo an Ursa into oblivion. Blake threw Gamble Shroud in its Kama form into the back of a Beowolf's neck. She used her cleaver to cut down a Creep as Yang switched to the last Grimm, another Beowolf. Yang gave it a powerful upper cut to the monster and sent it flying towards Blake, who finished up with a double slash of both her blades. With the last of the Grimm taken care of, everyone could take a breather. Naruto, Ruby, and Weiss all sat down as the clones popped out of existence. Ruby was panting heavily while Naruto was only winded. "That… was a lot… of Grimm." Ruby said between breaths.

"Ruby." Naruto said as he steadied his breathing. Ruby turned to Naruto just in time to see him bop her on the head, "Don't rush off like that again!" Yang could help but clench her fist at the strike but waited to see where Naruto went with it.

"Ow…" Ruby groaned as she rubbed her head. She had lowered her aura once the fight had concluded so a small bump was starting to form, "What was that for?!"

"For running into the fight on your own! I didn't carry you and Weiss away from the Grimm mob only for you to charge back in! You know how many times I stopped something from hitting your blind spots?!" Naruto scolded which caused Ruby to look away in shame. Yang relaxed when she heard Naruto scold her sister. While she didn't enjoy it, she could understand where Naruto was coming from.

Weiss decided to chime in, "I see I was quick to judge you. You are far too immature to be at a school of this caliber." This only made Ruby's shame grow as she started to poke her index fingers together.

"That's not what I meant." Naruto said, "I'm saying just don't rush off and leave everyone behind." Naruto took a deep breath before he stood back up, "You have a team now, so don't get carried away. Team work makes even the strongest enemy manageable. We watch each other's back." Naruto stated before he offered her a hand. Ruby took the hand and let Naruto pull her to her feet.

"I'm sorry… I got carried away. I'm just so used to fighting on my own that… I guess I thought I wouldn't need help." Ruby admitted, "I'm glad I got a partner like you to help me, Naruto."

"Excuse me?! Naruto is my partner!" Weiss interjected. Yang and Blake looked confused at this as Ruby and Weiss began to argue with each other.

Naruto only shrugged when Blake and Yang looked at him, "I ran into them both at the same time. Apparently, they both saw me first. I was too busy trying to find a good place to fight all the Grimm to notice and just carried them with me when we met up." Naruto explained before he got between the two, "Look, I saw you both at the same time. We'll let Ozpin settle this but for now…" Naruto started only to stop as he noticed something. A large shadow flew over the group, causing them to look up to see a giant Nevermore circling around them. "Oh boy…" Naruto said before a Deathstalker ripped through the trees towards them. "Okay two problems."

"Alright, mister teamwork. What do we do?" Yang asked with a smirk as she readied for more combat.

Naruto hummed as he and everyone readied themselves for the approaching Grimm. The Deathstalker was heading straight for them as the Nevermore circled overhead. He could go Sage more and simply blow both of the creatures apart, but that didn't seem right. This initiation wasn't just about him and if he simply bulldozed all the obstacles then others wouldn't get a fair examination. So the question was how to beat two large and dangerous Grimm without going into massive overkill. The Nevermore stopped Naruto's thoughts as it launched a barrage of its feathers at the group. "Everyone stay close!" Naruto ordered as he made his semblance form a domed cyclone around the five. The feathers got directed away from the group and embedded into the ground around everyone. _"I'll really have to thank Neji one day for using Rotation on me. It may not be as good but a wind version does get the job done!"_ Naruto thought with a smirk.

"Handy semblance." Blake commented as she watched the Deathstalker. The feathers were acting as a buffer and gave the creature a detour since they were now in the way. Before anyone could come up with a plan to deal with the two giant Grimm, a barrage of pink grenades bombarded the Deathstalker as a happy laugh was heard behind the group. They turned around to see the quiet boy from earlier that day and the hyper girl land in the circle of feathers.

"We thought you might want some help." The boy said calmly, "I'm Lie Ren, and this is Nora Valkyrie."

"We're gonna break it!" Nora said excitedly as she lifted her hammer menacingly while looking in the direction of the Deathstalker.

"Blake Belladonna." Blake added since she hadn't had a chance to introduce herself earlier.

"Room for two more?" A polite voice asked as Pyrrha and Jaune climbed through the feathers, "Same reason as those two. Pyrrha Nikos."

"Jaune Arc." Jaune said as he caught his breath. The two had actually happened to stumble onto the battlefield when they watched the Deathstalker stampede its way out of a cave towards the clearing

"Save the introductions for later." Naruto said as looked at the four. He took a quick look at everyone's weapons before he spoke again, "Pyrrha, you'll lead Jaune, Ren, and Nora against the Scorpion!"

"Deathstalker." Blake corrected.

"The rest of us will take down the bird since we have more focused range attacks." Naruto continued as he ignored Blake's comment. The name wasn't important, how they were going to deal with the Grimm was. "Split up and keep the two away from each other!" Naruto ordered. The teens split into their respective teams from the circle of feathers.

"I'm not feeling good about this…" Jaune commented as he and the others attracted the Deathstalker's attention.

"Don't worry. We have your back." Pyrrha stated as the Grimm charged them. Their fight was about to begin.

Meanwhile, the others fired off countless rounds at the Nevermore in order to attract its attention. The bird didn't seem affected by the bullets, dust, and rockets as it turned to the five to prepare another feather assault. The five split as the Grimm flew over their heads, not even phased by the attacks. "This isn't working!" Blake yelled as the bird started to circle around.

Ruby watched the bird carefully. If they could get close to it than they could do a lot more damage. No doubt the monster would dodge if she fired herself at it and she would be too vulnerable to a counter attack in the air. Come to think of it this was almost like… "The Bullhead! Naruto I have an idea!" Ruby yelled as she readied herself, "Weiss! Yang! Blake! Distract it for a minute!" Naruto smiled as he rushed over to Ruby, already knowing the plan. She was going to repeat his attack on the Bullhead when they had first met. He summoned a shadow clone as got into position and formed a Rasengan with the clone's help. Ruby continued to watch the Grimm as she waited for the perfect time to shoot, "I'm going to aim for its wing. Flying is its only advantage over us!"

"This will be harder on a moving target. You know that right?" Naruto said as his clone dispelled.

"Yeah, but I can hit it. Sure you don't want to use a clone though?" Ruby replied.

"A clone could be popped. I can't. Fire when ready." Naruto said with a smile. Ruby smiled back before she focused on the Nevermore as her companions distracted it. The three fired at the Grimm while ensuring they were not in the path of Ruby and Naruto. The Nevermore screeched at the humans as it prepared for another feather barrage. "Now!" Ruby yelled as she fired Naruto off into the sky and switched her weapon into its compact gun mode a second after.

Weiss gasped as she caught onto the plan. He wouldn't make it before the Nevermore's attack even at his velocity. She pointed her fingers at his trajectory and made a black glyph appear in his path, "Naruto! Use my glyph!" She shouted since she knew Naruto had not seen her semblance yet. Naruto wasn't sure what to do with the glyph as he passed through it and was fired higher into the air above the Nevermore's attack range as it fired its feathers off. The other four effortlessly dodged the straight line attack and prepared for the Grimm's hopeful crash down to earth.

"Eat this! Rasengan!" He yelled as he slammed into the left wing joint of the Nevermore. The bird screeched in pain as the attack tore through the flesh and bone. The wing bent at a horrible angle as the two came crashing to the ground. Naruto leaped away from the Grimm as it thrashed around on the ground.

Blake rushed in at the opening and threw Gamble Shroud at the beast's legs. The ribbon wrapped around its legs a few times before Blake caught her sword and pulled, "Yang!" The blonde hurried to her partner's side and grabbed the ribbon. The two pulled as hard as they could and tied the legs together. The Nevermore struggled to regain its balance while it attempted to escape its bonds. Weiss, however, wasn't having any of that as she charged forward and stabbed the tip of her sword at the Nevermore's talons. Ice erupted from the sword and encased the limbs up to the base of its torso in ice. The monster was now trapped on the ground and although Blake had to cut the ribbon on her sword, she could replace that with ease.

"Yang, double combo on the head!" Naruto yelled as he leaped at the Nevermore. Yang charged the well as Weiss made a glyph for her you use. The blonde pair slammed their weapons into the armored head of the bird, stunning it as they bounced off. "Ruby, finish it!"

Ruby dashed forward, stopping right at the base of the ice. She combining her semblance of speed and sniper scythe recoil, Ruby fired up into the air, catching the neck of the stunted Nevermore. One last round gave Ruby enough force and with a battle cry, she severed the giant bird's head from its body, effectively killing it. Ruby landed behind the propped up corpse of the Grimm. She turned just in time to Nora finish off the Deathstalker by hammering the end of its own stinger into its head.

"Well… that was a thing." Yang commented as she walked up to Naruto, "You must be exhausted."

"Nah. Honestly this is kind of like a warm up for me." Naruto said glanced around to check on everyone. No more Grimm seemed to be appearing which was good. Ruby was using Crescent Rose to prop herself up as Weiss took the time to sit down and rest. Blake and Yang were only winded while Jaune and Ren seemed rather tired from their battle from the Deathstalker. Pyrrha and Nora seemed fine, which didn't surprise Naruto at all about Nora. "Still, I'd say we've had enough excitement. Let's find those ruins, get that relic, head back, and call it a day." No one disagreed as they all stood up and gathered together before heading north in hopes of finding the ruins Ozpin had mentioned.

Ozpin smiled as took a drink from his mug, "Indeed mister Uzumaki will be an interesting one."

"What makes you say that?" Glynda asked as she switched channels on the scroll to check on other students. True the students had managed to slightly impress her, but she failed to see what made Naruto shine above the rest aside from his strange abilities.

"Just some observations." Ozpin said as he swirled the remains of his drink in his cup, "Glynda, please send Mrs. Summer a message to meet me in the morning before classes begin. I have a few questions about mister Uzumaki."

"Why not simply meet with her after the team assignments?" Glynda questioned as she typed the message.

"I overheard her joyfully going over her plans to celebrate when her children and disciple passed initiation. Far be it for me to ruin those plans for a few questions." Ozpin answered. His questions were simple curiosities more than anything.

Summer meanwhile was breathing a sigh of relief as she watched the nine children find the ruins and grab four relics. She had to admit when the giant Grimm showed up she had grown concerned and was really glad Naruto was there to take the lead. Those tactical lessons really paid off for him. Ruby showed promise as a leader as well with her quick plan to use Naruto to ground the Nevermore. Summer's feed was cut off as a message appeared on her screen. "I wonder what Ozpin wants? Well… at least I can still celebrate with everyone."

 _Back in Beacon Auditorium:_

"From this day forward, you will work together as… team JNPR (Juniper)." Ozpin said to the team as well as the crowd. He paused as Nora hugged Ren to let the other students stop clapping before he continued, "Lead by… Jaune Arc!"

"Huh?!" Jaune exclaimed with a small jump as Pyrrha grinned at him with pride, "Lead by…?"

"Congratulations young man." Ozpin said plainly. He had faith in Jaune's possible leadership skills after watching his battle with the Deathstalker. He, like Naruto, had taken charge and given orders which resulted in his team's success.

Naruto watched the team from his position against the wall as he stood with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake. He snickered as Jaune was knocked over by Pyrrha when she tried to give him a playful punch to the arm. He wasn't sure picking Jaune to be the team leader was a great idea, but hey, not his school. If this Ozpin guy had enough skill and knowledge to lead the training of hundreds of Huntsman and Huntresses apprentices, then he wouldn't question it. "And finally… Blake Belladonna." Naruto pushed off the wall headed for the side of the stage along with everyone else but stopped when noticed something on the screen as the four girls lined up in front of Ozpin. "Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee…" Naruto noticed he wasn't on the screen as four pictures moved into a line. "and Yang Xiao Ling." Ozpin said as he continued the ceremony, "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces." Summer also looked confused as to why her disciple wasn't called. What was Ozpin planning?

"Um…" Ruby started to say with a hand raised when she noticed her friend hadn't been called.

"From this day forward, you will work together as… team RWBY (Ruby). Lead by Ruby Rose." Ozpin finished. Weiss looked a bit surprised at Ruby being declared the leader, as she was sure Naruto would have been given the position.

Yang gave Ruby a proud hug, but Ruby was too distracted to care as she tried to speak to Ozpin, "Professor Ozpin! You didn't call Naruto onto the stage, but Weiss and I both saw him at the same time!"

"Indeed I did not miss Rose. Rest assured your friend did indeed pass the incitation. Naruto Uzumaki, if you would please come to the stage?" Ozpin asked as he turned to the blonde boy. Naruto nodded and stepped on stage, stopping in front of Ozpin much like the others. Team RWBY quickly got off the stage, not wanting to steal the blonde's spot light as Ozpin spoke, "I found myself in a unique position with you mister Uzumaki. Your stay at Beacon, as I have been informed, is likely temporary. With that in mind, I cannot place you on a team." Ozpin stated. Naruto looked dejected at this, but he could understand Ozpin's decision. "However you displayed skills to both hold your own in combat and command a squad in quick decisions. Decisions that often mean life or death on the battlefield. Other students could no doubt use and learn from that experience. With that in mind, I will bestow onto you a unique position in this school to be known as the Vanguard program. You will be independent of other teams, free to take missions alongside an abled Huntsman or Huntress. However, you may also answer other team's request for assistance should they feel their mission may require a bit of extra effort. Should this come about, you will be given temporary control of that team under the supervision of the hunter or huntress who leads." The crowd cheered for Naruto all the same even at the news of him being given a lead of their team. Summer clapped with more enthusiasm than the rest of the people around her. A chance to be a leader would give her disciple valuable experience and his flexibility with teams wouldn't tie him down when it was time to return to his home. Team RWBY and JNPR were also showing their excitement with cheers and whistles. "Things are shaping up to be an interesting year." Ozpin commented quietly to himself as Naruto jumped off his stage to team RWBY and JNPR. Everyone was giving Naruto congratulations in their own way before they all stopped when Summer approached.

"I'm proud of all of you!" Summer said with a bright smile, "Tonight we celebrate! We have enough time for a quick trip to Vale! Blake and Weiss are welcomed to join us as well!"

 _Vale: A Simple Wok:_

"Auntie I love you so much right now!" Naruto said with the utmost joy as he stared at the giant custom order of noodles. Not only had Naruto ordered the largest size, but had asked for an assortment of vegetables and meats to be added. No doubt it would be the single most expensive item on the food bill considering it took up over half the table he was sitting at. Since the store, A Simple Wok, only had four seats available, Naruto had made a few clones to serve as a table and two extra seats. A quick henge and the furniture pieces were ready. Summer joined Naruto on the fake table while team RWBY sat at the noodle bar.

Summer giggled at Naruto's excitement. It may not have been Ichiraku's ramen, but Taiyang assured her that Naruto would enjoy eating here. Apparently, Yang liked it as well so that was a plus. "Ohhh." Ruby commented as she looked at the giant bowl. Honestly, she didn't think she could stomach that much food, but it looked delicious, "Can I have the same but in a smaller size?" Ruby was answered with a large bowl of food being slid into place in behind her. She turned around and looked at the bowl in awe, "Wow that's still big."

"That's the normal size serving. One regular please." Yang ordered. The bowl was ready seconds later and slid in front of her. Yang looked at the bowl for a moment before she glanced over at Summer again, "So Mom, what will our first lesson be tomorrow?"

Before Summer could answer, Blake chimed in, "Isn't it a bit unethical to have your mother as a teacher?"

Naruto chuckled at this as he picked up his fork, "No worries there. Auntie's version of special treatment is painful."

"Painful?" Weiss asked before she ordered a regular with low salt. She may as well try the food here to see if it was up to her standards. Blake also ordered a regular, but more so to keep a certain fact about her a secret

Summer held up her hand and counted off a list, "I trained Naruto privately for the last seven years. There were times he would start to get cocky with his training in which I… reminded him of his humility."

Naruto swallowed a forkful of noodles before he added, "She beat me into the ground, literally. I said I could take on anyone during one of our training sessions and Auntie body-slammed me so hard I went unconscious." The four girls gulped with Summer smiled at them.

"Well, I for one look forward to seeing what a huntress of Professor Summer's caliber will teach us." Weiss said before she started to eat.

"My lesson will catch you off guard tomorrow, but that's all I can say." Summer said before she started to eat, having ordered at the same time as Naruto. The truth was she didn't want Ruby's team to be prepared for her lesson ahead of time or it would lose its impact. She hoped her first lesson would be a heavy wake up call to all the first year teams. It would increase their survivor rate and teamwork if successful. If not, she'd have a bit more work ahead of herself but nothing unmanageable hopefully.

"Just don't be like one of my teachers from Signal. All he did was read from a book in such a bored tone even he fell asleep while teaching once." Ruby commented before she dug into the food. To her, it was another wonderful night between her mother and sister getting to bond. A bonus was having friends and teammates to bond with as well.

"Don't worry. There will be plenty of action in my class to keep everyone on their toes. I'm more of a hands-on teacher instead of a book one." Summer replied, "Besides, it wouldn't be a combat class without spars throughout the week." The night continued as the six had small talk during the meal.

Towards the end one question came to mind to Ruby, "Hey Naruto, what dorm do you sleep in?"

"Dorm?" Naruto asked. He hadn't been told about a dorm room. Where did he sleep?

* * *

 **Decided to leave this one with more of a comedy cliff hanger rather than a serious one. Now some people have asked questions that I can't address simply because it would spoil future content.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. School life!

**Round four! Begin!**

* * *

Naruto, dressed in his usual attire, looked at the school uniform on its hanger in annoyance as it hung on his wall. It looked uncomfortable, plus he questioned the purpose of a uniform obviously made for appearance rather than function at a combat school. Naruto only smirked as he formed a hand sign, "Transform!" A poof of smoke enveloped Naruto before it vanished to reveal his normal outfit had been replaced with the uniform, at least in appearance. He was pretty sure this wasn't against the rules since no one else here could transform into other things. Plus this would save him time if he was selected for any sparring. If only he could keep Maelstrom on him… _"… Better not. The uniform is one thing but I might get in trouble if they catch me with Maelstrom out of its locker without permission…"_ Naruto thought as he looked at the clock on his wall to see he still had time for breakfast, "I wonder if Auntie will still cook dinner…?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he walked out of his private dorm room to the cafeteria. Since the school provided food for the students and teachers even on days without class, it was safe to assume Summer wouldn't need to cook. That on top of Naruto's dorm room not being equipped with cooking facilities led him to believe other dorms were lacking the same equipment. Still, maybe he would see Summer at breakfast and he could ask her then.

Summer, however, was preoccupied with another matter; the meeting Ozpin had arranged for the morning. Ozpin seemed to be waiting for Summer as she walked out of the elevator into Ozpin's office. "Thank you for joining me, Mrs. Rose. I'll try to keep this meeting short so you don't miss breakfast."

"No need to worry about that. I had time to eat before coming here. So, what is it about Naruto you want to know exactly?" Summer asked in a cautious tone as she stopped in front of Ozpin's desk. Even if it was her old headmaster, she was always protective of people asking about Naruto. Past experience taught her that most people interested in her disciple had negative intentions.

Ozpin caught the tone in which Summer spoke, "Is this something you would rather not discuss?"

"Hm? Oh…" Summer smiled nervously as she scratched her cheek, "Sorry… Force of habit really. Whenever someone showed interest in Naruto back in his world, it was almost never for a good reason. I won't go into those details because that is his decision to tell, not mine."

"I see. Then I will try to keep this as impersonal as possible. I simply wish to the extent of Naruto's combat experience. He carried himself very well during the initiation and clearly held himself back. I feel Naruto himself could have taken out that large pack of Grimm by himself if he truly wanted to." Ozpin said as he folded his hands on the desk.

Summer sat there quietly as she sorted her thoughts. On one hand, she didn't wish for anyone outside her family to know of Naruto's status as a person from another world simply for the mess it could cause her dear disciple. On the other, however, this was Ozpin, a very trusted teacher who also was kind enough to allow Naruto to enroll with no history and for Summer to take up a job teaching at Beacon after missing for seven years. "... I suppose you have a right to know since this is your school. I'll have to keep it brief and explain in detail another time, and would ask you keep this between us for now Professor. Is that is okay?"

"Of course." Ozpin said before he lifted his mug, and so Summer started to explain Naruto's situation, including the fact he was not from Remnant. Twenty minutes later the summary of the tale was done. Ozpin leaned back in his seat, "Another world where the Grimm do not exist and warriors are trained when they're young children that can only be reached via a rare new type of dust. Both fascinating and concerning."

"It's not all glamor truth be told." Summer replied, "The lack of a common enemy for mankind led to more conflict between people. It seems like every country is simply looking for a reason to do battle with another. Skirmishes would break out very often all over the place. Always trying to find an edge over their enemies to the point they never noticed the real problems…" Ozpin raised an eyebrow in confusion. Summer simply shook her head in response, "Another story for another time… If the clock is right then I need to head for class. I know I didn't give a lot of details, but I hope this helped."

"More than you realize Mrs. Rose. Thank you for your time." Ozpin said. This information had left the gears of his mind turning.

Summer smiled, "You're welcome Professor. I'll take my leave now. Have to be ready to teach." She said before she turned to leave.

Once the elevator doors closed with Summer inside, Ozpin spun his chair around to stare out the window of his office, "His strange powers… another world… Could that be the source?" Ozpin said quietly to himself. He would have to look deeper into the rabbit hole on this matter. He would also have to consort the others of his hidden organization once he had more information. Hopefully, Summer wouldn't be too upset with him if he had to reveal this information to a select few individuals should events come to pass. If the dots connected, Naruto could become a revolution for the world of Remnant… or a target.

Speaking of the blonde, Naruto meanwhile had just finished breakfast and was heading back towards the dorms. He hadn't seen team RWBY or JNPR and figured he would check up on them. _"In retrospect, I should have sent a clone."_ Naruto thought as he walked down the hallway towards the dorm rooms of his friends. Still not like he couldn't make it to class fast enough to avoid being late.

"T-To class!" Naruto heard Ruby tell from down the hall as he approached a corner. Suddenly Weiss rounded the corner and slammed into Naruto. Thankfully due to her smaller size the most Weiss did was knock some air out of him.

"Watch where-!" Weiss started to say, unaware of whom she had run into. Before she could finish, however, Ruby rounded the same corner and slammed into Weiss's back, followed by Blake then Yang. The combined force of the additional three girls knocked Naruto over resulting in a messy pile up in the hallway. A popping sound echoed in the hallway as Naruto's transformation dispelled from the impact.

"Ow… Next time… I don't worry about you all being late…" Naruto complained from his position below the four girls.

"Heh. Hey, Naruto." Ruby said as she lifted her head from his shoulder with an awkward smile. Naruto only grunted as Ruby noticed Naruto was out of uniform, "Why aren't you in uniform?"

"I was…" That was Naruto's only response

"Get off already!" Weiss commanded with a struggled breath. Being the smallest of the group, the weight of three additional people made it difficult to breathe.

"Yeah, yeah." Yang said as she moved her hands to push herself up. She pushed off something soft which gave way slightly before it stopped. "Keep your shirt…" Yang froze when saw what she had pushed, well more like who. Blake and Weiss were also staring wide-eyed at the scene. Yang had used Ruby's head as a prop, and accidentally pushed her sister's face into Naruto's where their lips met. Yang had just made Ruby and Naruto kiss, and since she was in as much shock as her team she held her hand there in place. Of course, team JNPR came at just the right moment to witness the entire event.

Ruby's normally pale skin put a cherry to shame as she came to terms with what was happening. Naruto was sporting a heavy blush himself as he froze in place, not sure what to do. Neither heard Blake yell at Yang, who quickly let go of her sister and climbed off the pile. Blake hurried off the pile and stood with Yang as they just watched. No one said anything as Ruby slowly sat up with her face still flushed. A moment of silence as Ruby started to shake. Everyone but Naruto took noticed and covered their ears before… "KAAAAHHHHHH!" Ruby screamed as loud as she possibly could before bolting off at full semblance speed. Doors ripped open by the sudden ferocity of the wind created in Ruby's wake. Even Naruto and Weiss found themselves being carried away and slammed into the far wall.

Weiss let out a groan of pain as she and Naruto slid off the wall. Weiss was fortunate enough to hit the wall upright where as poor Naruto was upside down, which resulted in his head knocking on the ground before falling over completely. "This is all your fault." Weiss commented as she stood up.

"I just came to check on everyone…" Naruto complained as climbed to his feet, "If you all hadn't been running late this wouldn't have happened at all." He argued as Blake, Yang, and team JNPR ran up to them.

"You two alright?" Blake asked. She received a nod from Weiss and Naruto which let her continue, "Then we should find Ruby and make sure she's okay."

"You all can look for her. I for one refuse to be late for class any more than I already am, which is her fault for holding us up this morning with that silly redecorating montage. Something like that could have waited until classes were finished for the day." Weiss said before turning heel and walking out of the dormitory.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Naruto spoke the words everyone was thinking, "She can be a real bitch sometimes."

"I'll say… Still, she is right about being late. You all go on ahead. This mess is my fault cause I didn't pay attention so I'll take care of it." Yang said. She couldn't really blame Naruto on this one. Not like he planned to be barrel over and pinned under by four girls. Everyone looked at each other before they shrugged and walked for the door. Yang was Ruby's older sister and this seemed like it was best handled by her.

Naruto dusted his clothes off as he spoke, "I'll help too. I'm kind of responsible for this mess too."

"Not sure that's a good idea. You're probably the last person she wants to see." Yang replied as she started for the exit.

"Then I'll take a hike if that happens. I should still try to talk to her." Naruto said as he followed Yang out of the dorm. He wanted to apologize for taking what he assumed was her first kiss based on reaction. Granted it was his too but in all honesty, he couldn't complain about that.

"Well… alright. I'll talk to her first and give you the signal if it's clear." Yang stated as the two broke into a run around the school.

Once outside the dorm, Naruto asked, "What class did you have?"

"Professor Port's. Why?" Yang asked as she looked to Naruto only to witness him produce three clones. The clones all transformed at once, appearing as Ruby, Yang, and Naruto in uniform. They broke off towards the school, leaving Yang surprised.

Naruto smiled at her baffled look, "They're just place holders. They'll make a distraction for you to take their place once we take care of this. I have a different class so I'll have to split after this."

"I'm so using you to skip the boring classes!" Yang said enthusiastically. Naruto couldn't help the nervous feeling he got from Yang now. She must not have known that his ability to transform also meant he could turn into other people. Then again it had really never come up. Ruby was the one most interested in learning about what all Naruto could do. Yang seemed more into his stories on his pranks and fights. She was a bit of a firecracker though, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

Naruto looked around hoping to spot the bright red cloak of his friend, "Where do you think Ruby would go?"

"Not too far. She's fast and will explore anywhere, but I don't think she would leave campus… Let me see." Yang said as she came to a stop and pulled out her scroll. She dialed Ruby's number and let the scroll ring.

Another ring later a song was faintly heard playing, _"This will be the day we've waited for!"_ A yelp of surprise was heard over the song. Yang and Naruto headed for the source of the noise around the corner of the part of the school. Yang stopped Naruto just short of Ruby before she walked up to her little sister.

"Stupid scroll!" Ruby yelled as she fumbled to catch the scroll bouncing between her hands. She immediately closed the device to ignore the call with a sigh and hugged her knees again.

Yang could help the laugh at her sister's predicament as she peeked from around the corner, "Ignoring me already? You're growing up so fast!" Ruby yelped as Yang took a seat next to her, "You okay?"

"No, I'm not okay! I accidentally kissed my friend, and then I freaked out and ran away!" Ruby said in a spasm of emotions, "He probably thinks I'm mad at him or something…"

"Well, he was worried about you when you ran off." Yang said before she gave Ruby a playful shove, "I didn't think you were the type to freak out over a little accidental kiss though."

"It was my first kiss! Just because I'm not all lady like and fancy like Weiss doesn't mean I didn't have dreams about how it would happen!" Ruby said in an angry tone which caused Yang to feel slightly guilty, "I always pictured it like one of those fairy tales. An amazing sunset while the person I'm dating and I are standing on a romantic cliff or balcony, soft music playing…"

"An amazing dress?" Yang finished with a smile. She reached out around from around the corner and waved Naruto over.

"Ew no! The hood stays!" Ruby clarified, making her distaste for formal clothing known, "I'll never understand how other girls walk in those stilts. Still… I just didn't think my first kiss would turn out like that."

"Could be worse. At least it was with an attractive guy you know instead of some stranger. Speaking of said guy, Naruto has been standing around the corner the entire time." Yang said as Naruto peeked his head out.

Ruby immediately hopped to her feet at the sight of the spiky blonde and walked up towards him, "Naruto! Um… I'm… sorry about freaking out earlier…"

"It's okay. It was an accident, and if it makes you feel any better it was my first kiss too." Naruto said with a sheepish grin, "Yang is right, it could be a lot worse for us. I could have wound up accidentally kissing a Grimm or something."

Ruby couldn't help the giggle at the image of Naruto accidentally kissing a Grimm and freaking out afterward. "I'm just glad you're not mad. I don't do well with friends being angry at me."

Naruto smirked as he leaned down to Ruby and whispered, "If we should be mad at anyone, it should be Yang. Want to prank her later for revenge?"

Ruby smiled as well as she and Naruto turned to Yang with a mischievous glint in their eyes. Yang noticed the stare and couldn't help a nervous laugh, "Hey uh… what's with that look?"

"Oh, nothing." Ruby said sweetly as she walked away from the two, "We'd better get to class. Better late than never and all that!"

Naruto only laughed at Yang's nerves as he walked after Ruby. Yang meanwhile couldn't shake the chill from her spin, "Seriously what was with that look?!"

After a day of classes the one class Naruto was actually looking forward too came around, Summer's class. He had one class away from all his friends and with team JNPR. He was already sitting at a desk in the front row when team RWBY entered. Ruby took notice of her blonde friend and took a seat next to him, "Hey Naruto. Thanks for the help with the clones earlier today." She whispered, hoping her mother wouldn't hear. The last thing she needed was her mother finding out she was late her first day. Yang took a seat next to her sister with Blake between the blonde and Weiss.

"No problem. Anything interesting happens today?" Naruto asked. His day had been rather dull even with Nora in his last class. Diplomatic Relations was not an interesting class even it was essential for Huntsmen and Huntresses to know so they wouldn't cause international incidents.

"Oh, you know. I goofed off in Professor Port's class, got Weiss to snap at me for cheering her on, and then found out she doesn't like me leading the team. Then I talked to Professor Ozpin and he made the point that if I want to be a good leader I should always be at my best instead of playing around… Not my best first day." Ruby admitted. Granted it was her own fault but still.

"So long as you learned from it in the end." Summer said from in front of Ruby, causing the young girl to jump in freight, "I hope I won't have the same issues from you in my class Ruby. As Naruto can tell you from experience, I'm not near as tolerant as other teachers might be." She added with a sweet smile that unnerved everyone who saw it.

"How bad could it be?" Yang asked which made Naruto let out a nervous laugh.

"She had me stand on my hands for an hour with weights on my legs and threw knives at me if I started to slouch when I refused to study one day." Naruto answered, causing the girls to his right to all gulp nervously. Summer had simply pulled out a kunai and spun it on her index finger innocently before she walked back over to her desk.

"Is she a task master or something?!" Blake asked in a hushed tone.

Naruto scratched cheek with a small grin, "Well in her defense she did give me a warning that I would be punished if I didn't do my homework. It was really my own fault. She's strict but fair about it."

"We'll see about that." Weiss commented as more students filed into the classroom. She was mulling over the words Professor Port had with her over her own behavior during his class.

Summer used a remote to turn on the four monitors on the back wall. The monitors had various formations of four man squads battling a single opponent and on the last monitor simply had the word "Weakness" on it. The cross pattern formation, pincer formation, and arrow formation. "Good afternoon class. My name is Summer Rose, and I'll be your professor for Team Close Quarter Combat Expertise. First off, yes I am the mother of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long and no I do not show favoritism. They will have to perform just as well as the rest of you, if not better, to pass my class. Now, to begin, how many of you have taken the time to get to know your teammates?" A few hands in the class went up, but most of the class's hands stayed down. "Hm, more than I would have guessed. Good for those who have taken this step. As for the rest of you, especially the team leaders, take note of this. You will need to know the strength and weakness of each team member in order to make effective battle formations. Your team mates will also be responsible for informing you of all their own traits. Which comes to our first lesson of the year." Summer said as she pointed at the last monitor, "Team weaknesses and how to overcome them. Your strengths mean nothing if your enemy can find out your weaknesses and exploit them. Can anyone tell me the weaknesses of their team?" No one raised their hands as all the students looked around nervously. "It's okay if you don't know of your team's weaknesses. That is the whole point of this lesson. Does any team care to volunteer and come to the floor?" Again silence filled the room for a moment before someone was heard laughing.

"My team doesn't have a weakness! This lesson is a waste of our time." The voice of Cardin Winchester said from the third row of desks.

"Cardinal, thank you for volunteering your team! Please go change into your combat gear and report back here. I'll come looking if you're not back in five minutes." Summer replied as she grabbed Scattered Skies off of the table. She heard the groan of a couple males as all of team CRDL filed out of the classroom to gather their gear. Once they returned they were standing in a line in the center of the classroom. Cardin had his mace resting on his shoulder. Russel Thrush kept his daggers rested at his sides. Sky Lark stood nervously with his halberd. Dove Bronzewing was the only one who stood battle ready with his Hallstatt sword. Summer studied the pose of her students for a moment, _"Little space between them and only one ready to take this seriously. They'll do more harm to each other than they will to me."_ Summer lifted her weapon, "Come at me whenever you're ready."

All four of the teenagers charged at once, much to Summer's disappointment. Russel made it to her first as he had the least amount of armor and smallest weapon. Summer split her weapon apart as dodged Russel's attempt to stab at her. She smacked his wrist with the blunt side of her sword before triggering its morph mechanism. The blade flipped back onto the gun barrel and trapped Russel's wrist in her weapon. Summer dragged Russel around which moved him between her and Cardin as he attempted an overhead attack with his mace. Russel took the full force of the attack to the back as Summer released him from her weapon. Russel slammed to the floor as Summer displayed her acrobatic skills when she gave Cardin a powerful kick to his face and used him as a stand to flip herself over Sky's attempt to sweep her legs out from under her. Cardin stumbled back as Summer delivered slam to Sky's face with the butt of her weapon while in mid flip. With Sky dazed, Dove attempted to catch Summer off by firing off the gun built into the hilt of his sword. Summer simply deflected the bullets away in the direction of Dove's teammates. Sky took a few rounds in his dazed state while Cardin avoided the attacks. "Watch it!" He yelled at Dove. His distraction cost him pain as Cardin suddenly felt his gut be slammed by the full force of Summer with her blade.

"Wow. Mom is amazing!" Ruby commented as she and her team watched Summer more or less toy with Cardin's team. She would only strike when one of the boys left themselves wide open for an attack, but other than that she often had them attacking each other. Summer deflected Sky's halberd into Russel's gut before disarming Sky completely. She used Sky's halberd to pin Russel to the wall by his clothes as she avoided Cardin's attempt at a back attack.

"She is. Auntie's not even being serious." Naruto said as he watched. Cardin's team would be on the ground unconscious, possibly bleeding, if she was serious. "After I unlocked my aura and because of _how_ it was unlocked, Auntie stepped my training hard. There were times when her attacks hit so hard it would finish my aura and me in one go."

"That must have hurt a lot." Yang said as she watched Cardin be thrown across the room against the wall.

Naruto laughed before he replied, "Oh yeah. I'd be bed ridden the next day guaranteed if that happened."

"What did you mean by how your aura was awakened?" Blake asked as she watched Russel be thrown on top of Cardin without his daggers.

Naruto hummed as he tried to figure out how to explain that one. Blake and Weiss still didn't know he wasn't from Remnant and he didn't want to explain that while in a class full of people who could eavesdrop on him. "Naruto had an incident with a criminal before Mom had a chance to awaken his aura for him. That fight nearly got him killed, and his aura awoke before that happened." Yang chimed in, covering Naruto's ass with a half-truth.

"How long ago was the fight?" Weiss asked. This topic had her interest more than the beat down of team CRDL. Considering his level of skill, Naruto's adversary must have been a powerful one to withstand his array of skills. One thing Weiss wanted to know about was Naruto's mysterious dustless abilities. If his semblance was wind, then just how did Naruto do those other skills?

"Four years ago." Naruto answered which surprised Blake and Weiss. Naruto had been fighting criminals since he was twelve? Training and tournament battles were one thing. Those were sanctioned and monitored with medical personnel on hand should any accidents happen. Battling outlaws, however… anything goes with all or nothing stakes on the line.

"Now class…" Summer called, regaining team RWBY's and Naruto's attention, "I hope you paid attention to this bout." She finished with Cardin's team all sprawled out on the floor in pain, "Cardin said his team had no weakness, but the fight shows otherwise. Their team coordination was absolutely horrible, which let me easily make their attacks hit each other. None of them took the time to assess the situation and make a plan of attack. They charged in blindly and as a result, lost. Had this been a Grimm or worse, a person who intended to do them harm, team CRDL would be tomorrows funeral services." Summer said as Cardin and his team picked themselves up and returned to their seats. "Let me make this clear. Carelessness will get you and others killed." Summer said in a sharp tone, "Never assume you will win the fight! You do not fight to win, you do it to survive." Summer continued as she holstered her weapons, "That is why you train, why you make tactics on how to use your team effectively, and why you learn from every battle! To make sure you and others see tomorrow. Never forget that. Any questions?" The class once again remained silent after the somber speech. Only one person's hand went up, which made Summer smile, "Yes Ruby, what is your question?"

"Um… How do we find our weaknesses? I mean… if we have weaknesses than it's something we didn't see or we would have trained for it right?" Ruby asked. Her mother's lesson was sticking to her hard. She must have had weaknesses that she did not know about.

"A good question Ruby. How does one find the weakness they have? The answer is they often don't find it on their own. It's revealed by battle with others or the help of friends. We as people are often blind to our own flaws, but not others. In that regard, your assignment today will be for each of you to make an accurate list of weaknesses as a team you all believe you may have." Summer said as she walked back over to her desk. "It is only in overcoming weakness that one can truly grow stronger. I hope you all will do well to remember that." Many of the students put on their thinking face at these words.

Another hand went up which caught Summer's attention, "Yes Weiss?"

"Do you have any examples of good exercises to find any weaknesses in ourselves or our teamwork?" Weiss asked with her pencil ready to take notes.

"Well, for individuals, as I said before one way is to do battle. Spar with friends, classmates, or small scale tournaments. You can even ask teachers to give you an evaluation. Teamwork, however, is another trial all its own. You have to not just learn how your teammates fight but adjust your own style to compliment theirs. You have to train yourself to not become your ally's target by mistake, much team CRDL. Cardin did most of my work for me with a little bit of misdirection during the battle." Summer said which earned a growl from Cardin. He didn't like being made a fool of by anyone, even teachers. Summer ignored Cardin's attitude since, in her mind, some humility would do the boy good. "One good method to practice teamwork is to shuffle your team into pairs and spar with each other. You can learn how your team fights from both ends of the spectrum of ally and enemy and use that knowledge to help your teammates improve or expose flaws. Other methods are as simple as just getting to know your teammates better. If you get to know your team well enough, you may find yourself knowing their moves in combat before your own." Summer said as she scanned her students. She definitely had their attention. Now she could only hope her lessons stuck. "Let's wrap up on this. I'll give you all one week to make a list of weaknesses of yourselves and your team as a group. Once that is done, we'll cover measures to cover those weaknesses." Summer finished as the bell for the end of class rang, "Class dismissed!"

"This is going to be a hard assignment…" Yang commented offhandedly. She couldn't argue that she had a weakness or two, but admitting was more difficult than it seemed. She was proud of her fighting style to overpower her opponent.

"True, but it will be helpful in the long run." Blake added as she stood up from her chair, "We'd best get started."

"Yeah. This and the rest of our homework… At least we have a week with this one." Ruby said before she turned to Naruto, "Want to join us?"

Naruto thought about the offer for a moment. Summer had helped him cover his weaknesses during his training years ago. That said, that didn't mean he couldn't have developed another one. "Sure. The more perspectives the better."

"You know, you have it kind of easy this time Naruto. You don't have to worry about the team aspect." Yang said as she and the others also stood up.

"Not quiet Yang. If anything Naruto has it harder than anyone here." Summer said as she had overheard her daughter, "You only have to worry about learning about your team members. When missions begin, Naruto will have to quickly and efficiently learn how to work and lead other teams of any who request him." Summer informed her, _"Granted it's not something new to him."_ She thought in amusement, "You had all best get a move on. Don't want to miss the evening meal. I'll head out myself shortly."

Team RWBY and Naruto nodded and left the classroom as Summer made some preparations for tomorrows lesson. As they all walked down the corridor, none of them notice Cardin and his team loitering in one of the hallways. Cardin watched as they walked by with glare before he focused in on Ruby and Yang. He couldn't get back at Summer for making a fool out of him since she was a teacher, but he could mess with her daughter. _"I'll teach her to make me look bad!"_ Cardin thought before he walked off in the opposite direction.

"Hey Naruto, do you think we can tell Weiss and Blake about… you know…?" Ruby asked as they walked, "They are mine and Yang's teammates so it's gonna come up eventually when they're around."

Everyone stopped as Naruto hummed in thought for a moment with his arms crossed, "Auntie said we should keep it a secret until later on, but you have a point… Well if Weiss and Blake promise not to tell anyone, I don't see a problem with them knowing about it."

"This wouldn't happen to be about those attacks of yours, would they Naruto?" Weiss asked as her interested peaked again.

"Yes and at the same time, no. We can't say any more without that promise." Naruto said with a shrug. Blake and Weiss looked at each other for a moment before they answered.

* * *

 **Alright so this chapter turned out a good bit shorter than I wanted, but I saw a small snag in my plot plan line. An easy fix so no worries. Another reason it is short is I wanted to give everyone something before the new year. I may keep the chapters shorter just so they come out quicker. Matter of fact, poll time! (this poll is also on my profile)**

 **-(I attempted to work Professor Port's class into this chapter but it seemed better left untouched for Ruby's and Weiss's friendship to leave it be. Very hard to get the same lesson across with different words.)-**

 **Poll: Are you satisfied with the 10k+ word chapters at the relatively monthly release or would you prefer shorter chapters at a more rapid release?**

 **That should cover everything. The plot is going to pick up soon. I have a bit of bonding fluff I want to through in before I start that though, so at most two more chapters before it picks up.**


	5. Bonding time!

**Another day, another amount of weeks spent writing!**

* * *

The ticking of a clock was all that could be heard in the dorm room of team RWBY that night. When the two girls agreed to keep Naruto's secret, he told the parts of his tale he felt they needed to know. How he wasn't from Remnant and arrived here via travel by a unique dust, as well as a very basic lay out of how his world functioned. Now he sat on the floor and waited for Weiss and Blake to respond. Ruby watched her two teammates alongside Yang, nervous on how they would respond. "Do you take us for fouls?!" Weiss yelled spontaneously as she stood up from her bed where she sat, "You expect me, the heiress to the largest dust company in the world, to believe that there is not only a dust that we did not know about to exist, but that it can also cause travel between Remnant and this so called world of shinobi nations?!"

"Yes, I do unless you have a better explanation for my abilities?" Naruto said in a witty retort.

Weiss grew silent at the counter. It was true she couldn't explain how Naruto could essentially have multiple semblances that all worked at once. These so called "jutsu" as he named them were definitely not something that could be done via dust alone.

"You do seem… different from other people." Blake added as she observed how calm Naruto was. He didn't seem nervous in the slightest and gave no signs of lying to them. Not to mention his name was the oddest one she had ever heard of.

"You're kidding, right? None of you can seriously believe this story can you?!" Weiss asked as she turned to her team.

Ruby looked between Weiss and Naruto before Yang suddenly answered, "I do." Everyone looked at Yang as stood up and spoke, "This was just before Dad had gotten the call about them being detained from the fight with that Torchwick guy. I'll admit… I didn't believe Mom at first when she told me where she had been. I yelled at her, screamed asking where she had really been and why Dad wasn't mad at her either. I even called her a fake and almost attacked Mom if Dad hadn't stopped me…" Yang said as she took a deep breath.

"What convinced you?" Blake asked.

"She hugged me." Yang responded without moving, "She hugged me tightly and apologized for the time she was gone… I could feel her tears fall onto my head when I was in her arms. I know it doesn't seem like much but when she held me like that... It was just like the times she held me before she disappeared. You can't just recreate that feeling. That warm feeling when your mom hugs you… When she speaks to you in such a loving way. That's when I believed her. That she didn't mean to leave us for those years and that she spent every moment she could searching for a way home. Even her reason for taking Naruto under her wing made sense for how Mom acts."

"Oh? Just what was this reason?" Weiss asked as she squared up to Yang.

"Because I'm an orphan." Naruto answered, which shifted the spot light back over to him. "I didn't have anyone to look after me back in my village. I was alone all my life before I met Auntie Summer. She saw me sitting by myself at a park after all the other kids were picked up by their parents. When no one arrived for me, she came over and spoke to me. She offered to walk me home, and from there we became friends." Naruto said as he leaned back while propped up by his arms.

Ruby and Yang remained silent since it was clear to them that Naruto only wanted to reveal a small bit of his life to their teammates. Blake seemed to accept the story, but Weiss remained skeptical, "I'm going to need more proof than just your word that this is true."

Naruto couldn't help the sigh that escaped before he asked, "Just what kind of proof do you need?"

"Just… something! One of those "jutsu" that is so amazing I can't even begin to explain it, a piece of your world, anything!" Weiss said in frustration.

A hum resounded throughout the room as Naruto tried to think of something for Weiss. "I got it!" Naruto said as the light bulb went off in his head. He formed a single hand sign and channeled a large amount of chakra into his hands until the girls could see a faint blue glow. Naruto smiled as he held his hand out to Weiss, "Touch my hand, Weiss."

"Why?" Weiss asked cautiously as she stared at his hand.

"Just do it. It's the best way I can prove what I've said." Naruto answered as he kept his hand held out. Weiss reluctantly reached over after a moment of hesitation. When she placed her hand on top of his, her eyes grew wide in amazement at the feeling of power that surged through her hand. _"This warmth! This energy… it's incredible!"_ "Wow…" This was all Weiss could say to the feeling of the chakra. There were no words she could use to describe what she felt.

"I want to feel! I want to feel!" Ruby said in excitement as she rushed over and put her hand on top of Weiss's. She paused for a moment before a warm smile, "So this is what you and Mom get to feel… It's almost like when you're bundled up in a blanket with a cup of nice warm coffee." Ruby said as Yang and Blake decided to join in the fun.

"I feel like I could punch through anything with this!" Yang commented in amazement.

Blake had a similar facial expression as Yang before she asked, "How do you keep yourself in control with power like this?"

"What's new to you is something I was born with. Everyone in my world has it; some have more than others though." Naruto said as the chakra faded away, "I reacted similarly to you all when my aura was unlocked. Suddenly I felt like I had an invisible armor around me while all the senbon needles in my body were being pushed out and healed."

"Senbon needles…? Wait, does this mean that story about your battle was a lie?" Weiss asked.

"Well… Yes and no." Naruto answered, "The fight did happen, just not entirely how Yang told it. The fight was in my world, and I did nearly die from it. The enemy was an enemy shinobi who was far more skilled than me named Haku. My…" Naruto paused mid-sentence before letting out a sigh and continued, "My former friend and teammate Sasuke was with me. Without him there, even with my new aura and stumbling onto my semblance, I probably would have lost that battle."

Weiss got one word out of that state, "Former? What happened to him?"

Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and dusted his pants off. "I think we should call it a night. I'll see you all in the morning." He said before he walked out of the room.

"… What did I say?" Weiss asked after an awkward silence filled the room.

"You dug deeper than he wanted." Blake answered as she walked over to her bed, "Everyone has secrets they don't want other people to know."

Weiss couldn't disagree with Blake on that one. Perhaps she had unintentionally stepped over a boundary with her last question. "I'll be right back." Weiss said as she exited the room with haste, leaving the other three girls in the room. She quickly caught up to Naruto before he could disappear into his room and gave him a tap on the shoulder.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and sighed a bit, "Weiss, I don't want to talk about it anymore…"

"I know… That's not why I ran after you. I just wanted to apologize if I stepped out of line with my last question. I didn't intend to make you uncomfortable." Weiss admitted as she folded her hands together.

Naruto blinked in surprise at Weiss's apology, "It's okay." He said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "You didn't know. Still, I'm a bit surprised you came to say sorry. Seems a bit out of character for you."

"Yes, well… Professor Port pointed out that my attitude is rather… lack luster than what it could be after my bout with a Boarbatusk during his class. My behavior towards Ruby was inappropriate and when I spoke with the professor, he said I should be the best person I can be. To that end, it is clear my treatment of others needs improvement." Weiss said as she relaxed a bit.

Naruto smiled at that, "Thank you for the apology, Weiss. Still, you have one more person to apologize too I bet." Naruto said which got a reluctant nod from Weiss. "Best do it while you're momentum is strong. Apologies are like battles… you have to push yourself the furthest when the fight is at its hardest." He said before he walked into his dorm room.

Weiss stood outside his door for a minute before she returned to her room. The other girls had all changed into their pajamas and were getting ready for bed except for Ruby, who was setting books and papers up against her pillows. "Ruby." Weiss called as she walked in which got the attention of all the girls. Weiss focused only on Ruby, however, "I want to apologize for my behavior during and after Professor Port's class. It was… uncalled for of me. The truth is I do believe you have what it takes to be a good leader."

"Oh… Thanks, Weiss. I'll do my best to be that leader too." Ruby replied before she noticed Weiss look away for a moment, "Something wrong?"

"Not really. I'm just curious about something. You and Yang have known Naruto the longest out of all of us. Is he… an open person?" Weiss asked as she took a seat on her own bed.

Yang rolled over from her position on her bunk, "He seems like he is, but we've also only known him a month. He told us more about himself then he said to you and Blake, but I think that was because he was trying to help ease over how Mom was missing for seven years."

"He told Yang and me about the mission that he awakened his aura on. Said he killed a person… It was his first mission outside of his village." Ruby added as she sat up, "You don't think that he lost his teammate on a mission do you?"

"I don't think so. He keeps saying former, not late or dead. So I'm guessing that this person is still alive. I gotta say I'm really curious about it." Yang said as she folded her arms behind her head.

"Why?" Blake asked as she closed the book she was reading, "He clearly doesn't want us to know or he would have said something on it." Her team didn't know it, but Blake was speaking from experience. She had yet to reveal a secret she kept to herself about her past and had no intention of telling anyone anytime soon.

The girls all grew silent at that one. Perhaps they were asking things a bit too quickly. Weiss went to change as Blake and Yang decided to go to sleep. Ruby hummed to herself quietly before she turned to her books and closed the make shift tent around her bed. As she attempted to study she couldn't help the distracting thoughts about Naruto… _"I wonder just what all Naruto has gone through… He can tell Yang and me about how he grew up just fine but when it comes to his former team he almost shuts down…"_

 _The next morning:_

Naruto grumbled as he walked out of the dorm building. He didn't have any classes with team RWBY or JNPH for the day so he simply sent a clone in his place. He needed a good old training session beat down of himself. To that end, he went for one of the open fields of the school. Once there, he smiled as he summoned five hundred clones, "Alright fellas! You know why you're here!" The clones all smiled back as they drew their swords and charged their creator. Naruto formed a weakened Rasengan in his free hand as he waited for the clones to reach him. He still had to master this technique with only hand and this was the best type of practice.

Summer paused on her walk towards the class when she heard the sound of a familiar voice multiplied by a few hundred followed by gun shots and explosions, "Sounds like Naruto is getting an early workout. Which means he's probably sent a clone to class." Summer said before a thought entered her head, _"It's been a long time since Naruto and I had a good old fashion sword match. I could send a clone to teach class today since I don't have any matches planned… though I really shouldn't…_ " It would be bad if her clone popped in the middle of class, not to mention unprofessional of her to skip her job for fun. _"Still, doesn't mean I can't make plans."_ Summer thought as she pulled out her scroll and typed up a message to send to Naruto.

"Hm?" Naruto paused in the middle of the spar to check his scroll, "Auntie wants to spare this weekend? Awesome!"

"An opening!" One of the clones shouted at it slugged the distracted Naruto. The clone was met with a bullet through the stomach as the original stood back up.

Naruto grabbed the scroll off the ground and put it away as he resumed the fight, "Cheap shot!" The clones only taunted the original as the fight resumed.

"Do you hear that?" Yang asked as she and her team walked towards the school.

"It sounds like Naruto. A lot of him." Ruby said before she smiled, "I bet he's doing all kinds of cool stuff from his home! Wanna go see?"

"Hell yeah!" Yang shouted before team RWBY darted for the source of the noise.

They arrived just in time to see Naruto leap into the air as he ran through six hands signs and ended on the tiger sign, "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" Naruto's cheeks puffed out before he let loose a large fireball towards his clones. The clones smiled as they countered the attack with a barrage of Rasengan attacks. The fireball ripped apart and dispersed while it took a few clones with it. More clones rushed through the smoke of their lost companions towards the original. Naruto cut through the first clone and knocked the second away with a gust of air before he blocked the slash from a third clone. The girls continued to watch as Naruto kicked the clone away and formed a Rasengan in one hand as a clone attacked with the same technique from his flank. The attacks collided and Naruto was sent flying back as his technique, without the aid of a clone, was incomplete and couldn't stand against a full powered version. Naruto skid across the ground across the field before he got back to his feet just in time to block cluster of clones that had attacked from the air. Four wind chakra enhanced blades met one and while Naruto managed to hold the attack, Maelstrom couldn't stand up to the force. The blade started to bend under the strain of the weight and force of the attack caused Naruto to use his semblance to repel his clones.

"That can't be good for the blade." Blake commented as one of the clones crashed near them and poofed out of existence.

"It's because it was broken before." Ruby commented as she watched, "Naruto's sword broke once and was re-smelted together. When you re-smelt, it loses carbons and becomes more malleable, so it will bend easier."

"Why didn't he get a proper repair job?" Weiss asked as she watched Naruto charge into the mass of his duplicates. The sound of clone after clone popping into clouds of smoke filled the air as the original was lost in the crowd.

"I dunno. Time maybe? Re-smelting can take only a few hours to a day at the most, but making a new blade can take a lot of time. You need to get the mold and the material altogether, and then melt it all down. Shape it, temper it, and make sure that everything is made to exact specifications. Even the slightest margin off can ruin the entire weapon." Ruby said before she started to bounce on her feet, "Oh, oh! Idea!" Without warning, Ruby vanished in a flurry of rose petals as she charged into the battle.

"Should we stop her?" Blake asked before chaos ensued.

"Fire sty-!"

"Naru-!" Ruby started to say when she appeared in front of the blonde boy. She didn't get to finish as she watched fire start to leave Naruto's mouth, only to explode in both of their faces. Naruto had bitten down on the fireball as it tried to escape his mouth when Ruby suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Too late." Yang said as they watched Naruto and Ruby be engulfed in a cloud of smoke from the explosion.

"Ruby is such a dolt…" Weiss said as she and the others walked over to the pair to ensure they were okay.

Naruto was on his hands and knees as he coughed violently with smoke coming out of his mouth, "I think… I charred a lung…"

Ruby wasn't fairing much better as coughed while the smoke cleared. The pair looked like they had been covered in soot. "Sorry…" Ruby said between coughs. She had been so excited about her idea she had momentarily forgotten that Naruto was doing combat practice. Still, since she had his attention and finished clearing out her lungs, she asked: "Naruto, what are you doing after class today?"

"Just more training. Why?" Naruto responded in a raspy voice before he coughed some more. He really needed some water right now…

Ruby only smiled as she dusted the soot off her clothes, "Want to come with me to Vale when classes are out?"

Yang, Weiss, and Blake all stopped in surprise. Did Ruby just ask out Naruto? "I don't mind going, but what for?" Naruto asked as he moved into a sitting position. He started to take deep breaths to clear out his lungs

"We're going to get Maelstrom an upgrade!" Ruby said enthusiastically, which made Yang face vault. Of course, her sister would only ask out a boy to modify his weapon and not on an actual date. "We won't have a lot of time to forge anything so we'll just order the materials for now. What is Maelstrom's blade made out of?"

"I don't know." Naruto answered bluntly has he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Auntie showed me how to take care of everything but… Honestly, I'm not all that smart. Technical stuff always goes right over my head every time unless I spend days going over it. Since Auntie spent a lot of time helping me with my studies and teaching me how to fight, we never managed to get around to learning how to smelt, forge, and work metal."

"You at least know how to take care of it right?" Ruby asked in a slightly shaken voice. How could this person in front of her not know the absolute essentials of his weapon? Sure her mother made it for him, but that was no excuse!

Naruto nodded as he pulled a pouch off the left side of his belt, "Of course I know how to do that! I can take it apart and put it back together blind folded! I even keep spare parts in case anything needs to be replaced!" Naruto said as he opened the pouch to show a few screws, springs, and small plates of metal, "They're only for a temporary fix but it still works."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. This was still salvageable, "Alright. We'll get the specs from Mom, and then go to Vale to order the metal. After that, I'm crash coursing you on weapons making one-oh-one!"

"… I don't have a choice in this do I?" Naruto asked nervously when he noticed the look in Ruby had.

"That depends…" She said as she bent down and stared into Naruto's eyes with her hands on her hips, "Do you think you can out run me?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but paused. Could he out run Ruby? He knew she was incredibly fast with her speed semblance and while he was no Rock Lee, Naruto knew he could out run a large number of people. This left him with one option, "Ruby, let's race! One lap around the school!" Naruto demanded.

"You really think you can beat Ruby in a race?" Yang asked with an amused chuckle. She knew it would be a one-sided race.

"Well I won't say I can beat her, but I do want to see how I measure up!" Naruto said as he hopped to his feet and started to stretch his legs, "You've got about ten minutes until class starts so that should be more than enough time for the two of us to do a lap."

Weiss folded her arms as she raised an eyebrow, "We have ten minutes? What about you?"

"I sent a clone since I only have book classes today. I learn anything it does when it disappears and it knows to take notes… If it manages to stay awake." Naruto said as he stretched.

"… That's cheating." All four of the girls said simultaneously. It wasn't fair that Naruto got to skip classes whenever he wanted by sending a clone.

"I'm going to punch you in every class we have together." Yang stated as she punched her knuckles together. Using his talents to get them out of trouble was one thing, but to use them to get out of work was another… mainly because she couldn't do it herself.

Naruto just stuck his tongue out at Yang as he stopped stretching, "Then I'll just make sure to sit away from you. Anyway, I still want to race so the only way I'll go to Vale today is if I get it!"

Ruby's team just looked at her as she smirked and got into a running position. A race was one thing she wouldn't pass up. Not to mention she now wanted to knock Naruto down a peg because of that little clone revelation. Yang leaned over to her sister and simply whispered, "Bury him." The tone was mostly in jest, but Ruby knew that her sister, and most likely her teammates, wanted the same thing as her at that moment.

"I'll time the race." Blake commented as she opened her scroll. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was curious about how the race would end.

"Ready!" Yang said enthusiastically as she took a few steps away from the two with her arm raised. Naruto joined Ruby on the imaginary race line and got ready. "Three! Two! One! Race!" Yang shouted as she dropped her arm. A pair of blurs sped past her and were gone from sight in moments.

A little pass two minutes later and the race was over. Team RWBY cheered over Ruby's dominated victory as Naruto slowed to a stop. "Damn… I thought I would do better than that…" Naruto said as he attempted to settle his breathing. He had already figured he was going to lose the race when Ruby sped past him near the start of the race, but that didn't mean he was going to quit.

"What was our time?" Ruby asked as she unscrewed the cap of a water bottle she had acquired along the way.

"A minute forty-two for Ruby, including her stop for the water." Blake answered with a smirk, "Two minutes six seconds for Naruto. Still impressive considering you both ran around the entire school."

Ruby grinned, "Well Naruto, it was a good race but you'll never beat me in speed! That's my specialty!"

"I'm going to beat you one day! Just watch!" Naruto declared as he pointed at Ruby dramatically.

"Oh yeah?! Well, I'll do anything you say for a full day when that happens!" Ruby said as she crossed her arms, "Anyway, I gave you the race you wanted, so you have to come with me to Vale after class! Speaking of which, we'd all better get going." Ruby said as she grabbed the back of Naruto's collar.

Naruto looked confused as Weiss and Blake both grabbed an arm and Yang his legs, "What the…? Let me go!"

"You lost the race. We suffer boring class, you suffer boring class." Yang said with a smile as the four carried Naruto away.

"That wasn't part of the deal!" Naruto shouted in defiance as he was forcefully carried to class.

 _That afternoon:_

"Oh, class today wasn't that bad." Ruby said as she, Naruto, and Summer walked down the streets of Vale. Naruto had been in a sour mood for the remainder of the day when he had been forced to attend class. Summer had given him a pass so why couldn't a clone take his place?

Summer offered to tag along once Ruby had asked about the metals needed to make another blade for Maelstrom. While Summer was sure Ruby could have easily followed any written instructions down easily, it was too good a bonding experience to pass up. Plus there was always the off chance something happened to the notes, which in a forge full of heat and tools was all too possible.

Summer giggled as Naruto simply turned away with a huff, "Two things you never want to take away from Naruto. Ramen and training time. Now then…" Summer said as she tapped her chin, "We're going to need Carbon, Chromium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, and Vanadium to make L6 Bainite Steel."

"Bainite Steel?!" Ruby shouted before she turned to Naruto, "How did you manage to break Bainite Steel?!"

"It wasn't easy… In more ways than one…" Naruto commented with a sigh at the end.

Summer patted Naruto on the head and ruffled his hair, "It's okay Naruto. I'm proud you would go to such lengths to stop Maelstrom from falling into enemy hands. It shows a lot of responsibility. Not to mention the problems that would have come about if it had been properly reverse engineered."

"You never showed them how to make guns?" Ruby asked.

"No, I didn't." Summer answered, "When I first arrived in the shinobi world, I had no idea where I was or how anything worked. Once I started to get a grasp that I wasn't on Remnant anymore, I didn't want to get too involved in the world at the time. So I kept how my weapons worked to myself and even swore Naruto to secrecy when I made his. Granted they already had project weapons like crossbows so I don't know just how far they were from fire arms. I didn't want to risk making waves, however. Naruto's people are well versed in the art of combat and to suddenly evolve it with a new weapon may have had a catastrophic effect." Summer continued as she folded her arms, "Sometimes Ruby, the best action to take is no action. Some games you can't lose if you don't play."

"Huh…" Ruby said as she moved her gaze upward, "So if Yang and I were playing Remnant the Game and I never made a move, I could win?"

"Well… Not exactly. You wouldn't lose per say but you wouldn't win either. Yang may just get irritated and flip the table onto you. She has always had a temper after all." Summer explained informatively, "As I said, it's only sometimes. An important part of being a leader is knowing when to act. When to attack, hold back, or withdraw altogether from people and Grimm alike."

Ruby hummed to herself in thought for a moment before she stopped in front of a store, "Oh this is the place! I ordered all the metal for Crescent Rose here!"

"Lunar Metal Surplus. More metal than stars in the sky." Naruto read out loud before he tilted his head, "Seems like a bit of an exaggeration."

"It's just a business logo. There is a book store that says it has every book under the sun down the road." Ruby responded.

"…I wonder if the owners are related." Summer said as the three stared at the sign. The two teens shrugged in response before the three walked in. Once inside the building, Naruto immediately felt hot as he took a look around the shop. It was surprisingly larger than he thought as it connected to the building next door. The part they walked in at seemed to be the main lobby with the connected building being filled with forge stations and teens all working on various weapons.

Ruby took a deep whiff of the air with a smile, "Ah I love the smell of the forge!" She said before she approached the counter, "Excuse me, we would like to place an order."

The large man behind the desk looked up from behind his desk, "... Fill out the form for any materials you wish to order. The forges, however, are all busy with students from Beacon."

"Maintenance and upgrades probably." Ruby muttered before she grabbed a form, "How long is the order wait?"

"About a week. If your order is all together please move to the side until the order form is finished." The shop keeper responded before he walked away to the call of one of the students.

Summer took the form when Ruby handed it to her. She was the one paying for the materials after all, "Well he is pleasant…" One long form later, and the order was placed and the three were on their way.

"That was painful…" Naruto muttered as he held his head. Summer had decided this would be a good learning experience in case Naruto ever needed to make another order. He wasn't going to remember any part of what she told her. Not until he filled out dozens of forms himself, "No wonder grandma Tsunade is always getting drunk…"

"Grandma Tsunade? Who's that?" Ruby asked as the three walked down towards a nearby ammo shop to restock bullets while they were out and about.

"You know her as the Hokage, the leader of Naruto's village." Summer explained in hopes Ruby remembered what bits of Naruto's home she had been told, "Naruto calls her Grandma because her age is a sensitive topic for her and it gets under her skin easily."

Ruby cocked her head a bit, "That… seems insulting."

Summer giggled a bit as Naruto started to people watch, "It is by normal standards, but with Naruto it's different. The first impression you give him is usually the one he sticks you with for life. He called Jiraiya "Pervy Sage" until…" Summer said before she stopped abruptly at the memory of the late toad sage.

Ruby caught Summer's tone at the end of her sentence, "You don't have to say it if you don't want too." As much as Ruby wanted to learn of Naruto's world, she also respected the boundaries her mother and Naruto had set.

"It's nothing like that. Just… reminiscing a bit is all. Jiraiya was a wise but very perverted sage who took Naruto and me under his wing years ago. At first, I couldn't stand the man because of his perverted tendencies. He tried to get peaks of me while I was… underdressed on multiple occasions. At least until I threatened to castrate him when I managed to catch him one time. It was that or mentioning that I was married that got him to stop, possibly both." Summer said as Ruby looked disturbed at the idea of an older man peeking at her, "Despite some of his behavior… he was a good man. He helped Naruto with his ninjutsu and was the one that discovered I had chakra as well. It was his instruction that helped me tap into and learn how to control that power."

"But I thought you were the one that taught Naruto everything he knew?" Ruby asked.

Summer shook her head, "I taught him everything about swordplay and most of his hand to hand combat. Tactical planning was a bit of a challenge but I eventually found a way to get the lessons across so he wouldn't rush in recklessly in battle. However, when it came to anything involving chakra, the most I help would be trying to compare using chakra to aura and often failing poorly. The biggest influence I had on Naruto's ninjutsu was convincing him to learn more techniques to widen his attack and defense options." Summer said with a sigh, "After a mission of Naruto's, he and I joined Jiraiya on a journey around the shinobi nations for training for two and a half years. Jiraiya would instruct Naruto and me on ninjutsu training and I continue Naruto's weapon training while we were traveling. I would search for the dust to return me here during my own personal time. We got close over those two years... It had to have been three or four months later that we learned Jiraiya was slain on a mission."

"… I'm sorry to hear that." Ruby said as she looked at the ground. She had suspected this man had passed away based on the clues her mother had shown. It made her a bit sad that she wouldn't get to meet the person who appeared to have a major influence on Summer's and Naruto's life.

Naruto smiled at the memories of Jiraiya as he continued to observe the random people on the street. At least until he took notice of one teenage female Faunus pacing back and forth in an alleyway. "Auntie." Naruto said as he discreetly watched across the road, "Nine o'clock." Summer followed Naruto's gaze towards a dog Faunus with long crystal blue hair standing at an alley entrance. The Faunus was glancing up and down the road as she tried to keep her face hidden with a hood.

Ruby tried to look only to stop when Summer nudged her, "I don't get it. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you in a moment." Summer said in a hushed tone as the three walked, "We round the corner and move to the roof. We'll watch from there."

The three continued to walk normally until they were out of the teen's vision before they leaped onto the four-floor tall building. They used the angled roof top to hide as they observed the target. "So… why are we watching this person?" Ruby asked in an unsure voice.

"She's displaying nervous behavior. Pacing, watching the streets, and attempting to keep her face hidden. The fact she's doing this in an alley way either makes her a look out or the escape route." Summer analyzed for her daughter, "Given how she is acting… this is probably her first attempt at whatever it is she is helping with."

"But what if she isn't doing anything wrong?" Ruby asked.

"Then we go on about our business. I'd rather waste my time observing someone for them to do nothing rather than ignore them so they can do something wrong." Summer answered before the dog faunus peeked out into the street and waved over down one of the roads. The three turned to see another pair of faunus sprinting down the road with sacks over slung over their shoulders. One with black hair and deer like horns and another with gray hair and a rat tail. The one thing Summer took notice of was the pair of Grimm masks on the pair of teens as they ducked into the alleyway with their ally. "Hm… no alarms or sirens. They must have robbed some place pretty far away from here, or are smuggling goods through town. Rather poorly at that." Summer stated as they watched the teens disappear into the back door of a two story building. Summer smiled as she had an idea. This would be a fine training opportunity, "Okay, so since we cannot simply ignore this and there is only three of them, I'm going to let you decide how we handle this Ruby. You're in charge."

"I'm in charge?!" Ruby exclaimed as she stood up, "But… but I haven't had any training yet! I barely know how to run a team!"

"That's the point. Nothing beats first-hand experience. If anything goes wrong I'll take over but for now, Naruto and I are at your command!" Summer responded.

Naruto looked between the two before he voiced his opinion, "Um… Auntie, you sure this is a good idea? Remember my first training scenario as a leader?"

"First off, you had an army of yourself that all started arguing over what plan to use. Second, any experience is good experience. You learned from your first attempt, and so will Ruby." Summer countered before she turned back to her daughter, "Now then, we have three assailants most likely armed with combat training held up in that building. They may already be on the move as we speak. So Ruby, what do we do?"

Ruby scanned the building with her eyes, taking note of the possible entry and exit ways of the structure _, "One door front and one door back… four windows on the second floor to jump through…"_

After about a minute of silence, Naruto opened his mouth to speak only to have Summer cover it up with her hand, "No helping."

"Okay, I got it. Naruto, you make enough clones to cover both the front and back entrance of the building in case they try to escape from any windows. Mom and I will come in through the front of the house while you take the back. We bust in, take the thugs down, return whatever it was they took and make it back home before supper ends! Any questions?" Ruby said. Naruto and Summer shook their heads and simply pulled out their weapons. "Alright let's go!" Ruby yelled with a fist pump before she leaped off the roof. Summer followed her daughter as Naruto made a patch of clones before he went to his assigned location.

Summer and Ruby snuck up to the front door with their weapons in gun mode and took covered at the door frames. Ruby nodded to her mother before she kicked the door open and took aim, "Hit the ground dirt bags!"

The three teens froze with the two bags resting on the floor at the sight of the huntress and trainee who had their guns trained on them. The dog faunus was the first one to speak, "You said you weren't being followed!"

"We weren't! We ran for ten blocks through alley ways!" One of the masked teens who had horns said as he raised his hands. He wasn't about to get shot over this stupid plan, "I told you all this was a bad idea…"

"You heard the man! We had to do this if… Ugh!" The possible leader of the three groaned as he was elbowed in the side by the dog faunus to shut him up. His rat tail wagged in annoyance as he and the girl both raised their hands at the sound of the guns cocking to fire.

Ruby walked up and pulled one of the bags away from the group and opened it to show a mix of various dust containers, "They robbed a dust store. Looks like refined powder only." She said as she put Crescent Rose away on her back to look through the sack.

"So why did you three rob the place?" Naruto asked as he walked in from the back door. After hearing Ruby's yell and nothing crash or explode, it was a safe bet they had the situation under control.

"We're not telling the likes of you!" The rat faunus said in an extremely bitter and resentful voice.

Naruto only laughed as he walked around them to Ruby, "Don't hate us just because you got caught pal. Oh, and don't try any funny business. We have the place surrounded." Naruto said which caused the teens to pale.

The whole building surrounded just for the three of them robbing a dust shop? The horned faunus attempted and failed to say quietly in fear. "Surrounded?! Did they find out about the White Fang being in town?!" If they were linked with the White Fang they all could kiss their freedom goodbye.

"So the White Fang is in town." Summer said as she stepped inside with her guns still aimed at the teens, "I wasn't sure if you were recruits or simply mimicking them to throw off the blame. Thanks for clearing that up." She finished with a smile. The other two growled at their companion who looked at the ground when he realizes he screwed up. Summer was more concerned about another matter, however, "Naruto, call the authorities. We need to inform them about the terrorist group being active in Vale."

"They're not a terrorist group! They equal treatment for all faunus!" The rat yelled in retaliation. The Huntsman and Huntresses all ignored the kid, however.

Naruto nodded and pulled out his scroll. Before he could dial the number, however, "Wait! We can trade!" The horned faunus said which made everyone turn to him, "Let us go and I'll tell you how to find the guy who recruited us!"

"Cobalt!" The rat yelled at him.

"I'm not going to jail just because you wanted to join the Fang! We only went because you did!" The newly dubbed Cobalt replied, which made his friend gasp, "Life wasn't all bad. Sure some people treated us like dirt in some places but I had you guys, so it was tolerable. I'd rather walk out of here with you rather than see us all rot in jail just for robbing a dust shop! Hell, we didn't even hurt the store clerk!"

Naruto tilted his head at the three, "How did you rob a shop without weapons and not need to fight the shop clerk?"

"He panicked when he saw the masks…" Cobalt explained.

Ruby looked between the three teens and the sack of dust. They had to be younger than she was and they were putting themselves in this kind of trouble. "So… what should we do? Let them go or turn them in?" Ruby asked. She may have been the leader for this make shift mission, but she knew this was well above her experience level.

Naruto didn't answer right away. He stared at the three teens for a moment as he pondered the question in his mind. As far as Naruto knew, the Fang was a simple terrorist group. He knew nothing of their motives or why people would rally behind them. "Why did you want to join this White Fang group?"

"Are you serious?" The rat asked as he glared at Naruto from behind the mask, "Because of people like you! People who like to oppress faunus!"

"For one, I don't oppress faunus. I don't care what you are; I'll try to be your friend so long as you don't point a weapon at me. Hell, I've made friends with people that have tried to kill me actually." Naruto replied with a shrug, "So, do either of you mind explaining the White Fang better than this guy?" He asked Cobalt and the dog faunus.

"The White Fang use to be a peaceful activist group for the rights of faunus everywhere…" The dog answered, "But something changed years ago and they became violent. We use to want to join but after they started hurting people and stealing, Cobalt and I reconsidered… Grey still wanted to join and we just couldn't abandon him."

Naruto looked between the three before he looked at the rat faunus known as Grey, "Do you really think joining a group of masked criminals is really going to help change how people treat you? It won't." Naruto said as he crossed his arms, "You have to earn people's respect to get them to change, not cause them pain and fear. That's something you can't do wearing a mask. You have to be honest in your efforts and strive to do the right thing whenever you can!"

Grey scoffed before he spat on Naruto's boot, "What the hell would you know about earning the respect of people!"

"More than you realize." Naruto said in an annoyed tone as he wiped his shoe off with the floor. He was really tempted to punch this guy right now. "I went from an orphan with nothing to someone who earned the respect of everyone in my home village with the help of the people I care about and the effort I made to do it. It took sixteen years and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get there." He said as he scolded the three, "The White Fang won't succeed in changing the world if they resort to using violence to change people. They'll just make the tension worse because eventually someone will take a stand against them and people on both sides will suffer for it." Naruto finished, which made the three teens look at the ground, "I've already seen that happen with my own eyes before. If you really want to make a difference, take a stand to help others. Challenge what everyone says by proving them wrong, not by attacking them. Otherwise, the cycle will never break."

Ruby couldn't help herself as she leaned over to her mom and whispered, "So… what's the story?"

"I'll tell you later. It would take all night otherwise." Summer replied in a whisper before she cleared her throat, "Professionally I should have you all arrested and charged for your actions, White Fang involvement and all. However…" Summer added when the three teens looked ready to panic, "I'm using this experience as a training exercise for this huntress in training, so I'll go along with her decision."

That wasn't the advice Ruby was hoping to receive. She was hoping her mother would take charge again and show by example on what to do in this situation. She honestly didn't want to send them all off to jail if they really didn't hurt anyone. " _If only they could just return the dust_ …" Ruby's face lite up with an idea, "Okay here's what's going to happen. Will let you all go, but not for the White Fang information. Honestly, my friend over there can probably find them within a day's time." She said as she gestured to Naruto. Naruto shrugged in response, with enough clones searching it wouldn't be too hard. "Instead, you will all return the dust you stole yourselves and ditch the masks. Those are my terms."

"Are you nuts?! We'll be arrested if we do that!" Cobalt yelled at Ruby.

"Then you shouldn't have robbed the shop in the first place." Ruby countered, "We'll speak on your behalf and help you get a light sentence. Since no one was hurt, no weapons were used, and the fact you all look younger than I am, you should be let off easy. Right?" She asked as she turned to her mother.

Summer took a moment to think over her daughter's plan. While it wasn't the lawful thing to do, she couldn't argue about it morally. "So long as we don't mention the White Fang and if it's their first offense… they'll probably be arrested for half a year. Less if the shop keeper is merciful about it." Summer answered. "I'd take the offer if I were you three. No doubt the police have already started to search the cameras and will eventually find their way here." The three young teens looked at each other. They didn't have much of a choice.

The three teens looked at the cuffs on their wrists. After they turned the dust into the police outside the dust shop, they had been arrested on the spot. Before they could be hauled away, however, Summer and Ruby started to talk to the police and the shop keeper while Naruto kept an eye on the three. "Do you think we have a shot?" Cobalt asked as he shuffled his hands nervously in the cuffs.

"Dunno. All depends on the old guy." Naruto said as he played with a kunai on his finger. He was waiting for this entire scenario to be over with so he could send clones to search the city. He looked up when Summer, Ruby, the cops, and the shop keeper all approached them.

"So you are the three that robbed me. I have to say, I was surprised to see you give my merchandise back to me. What brought the change of heart?" The elderly man asked.

"A few guns and a blonde with a loud mouth." Gray answered with a smirk before he gave a serious answer, "Blondie over here made a point about how nothing will change with us acting criminals. So here we are, hoping to fix things before it goes too bad."

"Is that so… I should have you all sent to jail as a message to other young kids about crime, but… since you decided to change your actions I have another idea. Instead of being arrested, you're all going to work for me." The shop keeper said, surprising everyone, "That's right, you youngsters are going to make a change here. I'm getting old and running a shop by myself is getting dangerous. So you're all going to help me. Now let's go get this all worked out." The shop keeper before he walked over to one of the squad cars. The policemen looked at each other before they shrugged and ushered the three teens with them.

Before they could be taken away, the dog faunus stopped, "The old warehouse district. Search there.

Summer, Ruby, and Naruto were surprised she gave the information so voluntarily. "Thanks uh…" Naruto started to say only to realize they never heard her name.

"Crystal. I hope we meet again." She said before she resumed her walk with the police.

The three watched as Crystal, Grey, and Cobalt were taken away with the shop keeper. Once the sirens whaled away into the distance, Ruby asked, "So… do we go after the White Fang people next since we know where to look?"

"We'll let Naruto's clones search the area first. For now, we'll return to Beacon and plan our next move." Summer said with a smile, "I'll bring this up to Professor Ozpin to make sure it's sanctioned. After that, we'll see what to do next."

Ruby and Naruto nodded. If Ozpin allowed it… tomorrow was going to be fun!

* * *

 **Okay! I'm sorry for the delay on this one. After the end of Volume three, I took some time to step back and re-plan some things.**

 **On another note, I felt you all waited long enough and didn't want to drag this one on. So look forward to the check chapter, "Assault on the White Fang!"**


	6. Operation Raid

**So if you're wondering where I've been I was working on another chapter of Fox and Cards. Now that it's out of the way onto Maelstrom of Roses! I'm also really busy with summer courses in college.**

* * *

"So… what are we doing here?" Yang asked as she and the rest of team RWBY sat at their desks in Summer's classroom. Ruby seemed to be the only one who knew the reason for the gathering but was keeping quiet about it. Granted the speedster was bouncing in her seat in excitement but her lips were sealed.

Weiss looked over at the anxious leader in annoyance, "Ruby, could you hold still and tell us what's going on already?"

"Why don't I do that instead?" Summer said as she walked into the classroom. She shut the door and locked it before she walked to her desk, "Sorry for the wait. The staff meeting after class took longer than anticipated. I have a mission for you, the members of team RWBY."

"YES!" Ruby shouted as she jumped to her feet, "We're going to bust the bad guys!"

Blake looked between the two before she raised her hand, "Um… what do you mean Professor Rose?"

"We're going to take down a White Fang recruit ring operating out of the old warehouse district." Summer answered to the surprise of Weiss, Blake, and Yang. "Naruto, Ruby, and I stumbled across the operation last night while we were in Vale. Normally a mission like this would be given to a group of Huntsman and huntresses, but with the Fang using children to gather dust from shops across the city, Ozpin agreed with me that we simply don't have the time to wait and gather a team of the available Huntsman to handle the matter. Since all the second years and above are already undertaking missions, Ozpin has authorized the mission to be led by me. Naruto is already on board and is currently scouting out the location. If you accept, I'll go over the details."

"Of course we'll accept!" Ruby said in excitement.

Summer expected the excitement from her daughter, so she scanned the faces of the other three team members. It was when she noticed Blake's expression of concern that she spoke. Before Summer could address Blake's expression, the teen asked, "Ruby, maybe we should think about this before just jumping into it. We're all first years here and have been in class for less than a week."

"I'm for it." Yang said as she punched the palm of her hand, "A good old beat down sounds awesome!"

Weiss seemed the most reserved about the idea for a moment before she chimed in, "I vote for the mission as well. Anything to put a stop to the White Fang…"

Blake became silent afterward. She wanted to speak more against the mission, but she was clearly outvoted. _"I didn't think I'd be going against the Fang this quickly…"_ Blake knew that becoming a Huntress would eventually lead to her battling those she called allies and friends at one point in her life, but to be so soon was a little nerve wracking.

Summer stayed quiet as she observed Blake's behavior. _"She's hiding something…"_ Summer pondered in her mind. One trait that definitely improved over her years in the shinobi nations was her ability to read people. Blake was showing clear signs of some sort of past connection to the White Fang but had not said anything on the matter, which concerned Summer. Hiding one's history, no matter how dark, from one's team never ended well. _"I'll look into that another time, however…"_ Right now the mission took precedence. So long as Blake did her part then Summer could overlook the teen's history for now. "Alright, since the matter is settled I'll explain the mission. Our main objective is to disrupt the recruitment ring and recover the stolen dust. If recovery is beyond our reach, then we destroy it all to ensure the White Fang cannot use it. We're to capture any members of the White Fang we can as well."

"What will we do about the people who they're trying to recruit?" Ruby asked with concern. She was certain they couldn't do the same as with Crystal, Grey, and Cobalt.

"We'll capture them and turn them over to the authorities obviously!" Weiss said angrily as she crossed her arms, "Anyone who is a part of the White Fang is just a degenerate who deserves a cell!"

Blake quickly glared at Weiss with a quiet fury. A glare Summer did not miss, but left alone for the moment as she addressed Weiss's outburst, "While I understand your point, Ms. Schnee, we're not going after anyone who isn't in a uniform of the White Fang."

"What?! Why?!" Weiss shouted as she stood up and slammed her hands on the desk.

"Simple. For one, if it's anything like the three that led us to this operation last night, they are most likely children younger than all of you. They will know little to nothing about White Fang operations, therefore, arresting them would serve no point besides to raise tension between human and faunus relations. Why do you think these faunus are looking to join the White Fang in the first place, Ms. Schnee?" Summer asked as she stepped away from her desk towards Weiss.

Weiss seemed surprised by the question as she sat back down in her chair, however that didn't cause her to hold her answer, "Because they hate humanity! They look to steal from and harm every human on the planet!"

Summer wasn't surprised by this claim of Weiss's. With the previous assassination attempt on her life, and the actions of the Fang going far further back than that, it was a given the heiress would see faunus with prejudiced. "Well Ms. Schnee, you're not entirely wrong on that matter… but not entirely correct either." Summer said in a serious tone as she leaned over the desk closer to Weiss, "In my experience, people are often driven to the extreme when they feel no other option is left. While there is no doubt that some of the White Fang do indeed hate humanity and seek its destruction, there are others who feel like they had no choice but to join the White Fang in order to change the world for what they feel would be the better." Weiss looked away in discontent for a moment as Summer straightened back up, "Perspective is a powerful tool, Ms. Schnee. Good and evil do not exist within people because to your enemy, they are the good and you are the evil. Being able to see the story that makes the person and help them is how you make enemies into allies and break the cycle of hate that envelopes us all. If we arrest every man, woman, and child at this ring than all that would do is fuel the fire of anti-faunus groups and sympathizers alike. That is part of the reason we're not going to get the police involved until the matter is resolved.

"Do you really think letting them go will work?" Yang asked as she crossed her arms.

"Not for all of them, no, but it should scare most of them back home. Another reason we're not going to worry about them is that they won't know anything on the White Fang plans. On the scale of priority, they are minor. That's not to say you cannot defend yourself and capture anyone who attacks you first." Summer said before she checked her scroll, "Now we'd better be on our way to meet with Naruto."

"Mom, one quick question. How did you get Ozpin to let us take the mission?" Ruby asked as she and the others stood up.

Summer simply smiled at the girls, "I just made valid points. That's all."

 _Flash back:_

 _Ozpin took a sip from his mug as he pondered over the proposal Summer laid out for him. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Summer, are you sure about this? It is extremely early for first-year students to be undergoing missions."_

 _Summer, resting in a chair across from Ozpin's desk, crossed her legs before she answered, "Yes I am sure. We observed the operation for a short time before returning here last night. I determined that it is only a small portion of the White Fang in the facilities. The rest appeared to be Faunus who most likely learned combat on the streets drawn in by the promises of the terrorist group."_

 _Glynda narrowed her eyes with a frown, "I don't believe this is a good idea. These children have had almost no time to improve their skills."_

" _This isn't their first training school Glynda. They have more than enough combat experience to accomplish this. Not to mention a mission inside a city doesn't present itself often. Should the worst case scenario indeed happen, emergency treatment isn't far away unlike any mission outside the city's walls." Summer countered, "The police aren't able to handle the White Fang to begin with. Even if they could, we all know the faunus wouldn't be treated properly and that would only add fuel to the fire of tension between human and faunus. A Huntsman team is the only option we have right now and given the time it would take to assemble one that didn't involve the teachers here, it would be too late."_

 _Ozpin swirled the liquid in his mug as he contemplated his options for a moment before he set down the mug, "Very well, I'll trust your judgment Summer. You along with a team of your choosing and Naruto will have this mission. Do be cautious, however."_

" _Of course Professor." Summer said with a smile as she stood up to leave and plan how the attack on the White Fang operation._

"Check. Clone B, any changes in the patrol?" Naruto asked through the radio on his neck as he looked down at the plans he had crudely drawn of the warehouses with a pair of binoculars next to it.

"Still two people in plane clothing hanging out by the entrance. One two-man patrol passing by every few minutes." The clone answered.

"Clone C?" Naruto asked.

The radio was silent for a moment before the clone answered, "Two-man patrol still going back and forth along the back wall. They stop to chat occasionally so it's hard to time it."

"Roger that." Naruto said as he looked down at the diagram, "The rest must be inside the building with all of the people that went in. Makes sense I guess. It draws less attention." He mumbled to himself as he looked down at the tally marks he made to count a number of people that went inside. As Naruto counted the tally, Summer and team RWBY arrived on the rooftop. Naruto perked up at the sound of people walking behind him and waved them over, "Yo Auntie!" He said before he turned around, "Hey Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss! Glad you all came!"

"I wasn't going to miss this!" Ruby said as she quickly joined Naruto and squatted next to him, "So what's this?"

"Just notes of the warehouse. The door is being watched by two guys with one patrol going by every few minutes and there is another patrol going back and forth in the back near the water." Naruto answered before he turned to Summer, "There are at least thirty civilians in the building Auntie, and most of them are younger than us."

"So they are focusing on recruiting kids…" Summer said quietly as she took the binoculars and looked down at the warehouse, "Were they armed?"

"I don't think so. I didn't see any weapons on them, but they could have been hidden." Naruto answered.

Summer lowered the binoculars as she grabbed her chin in thought, "Hm… This seems less like a recruitment ring and more like the kids are being used to acquire dust."

"What makes you say that?" Yang asked as she took a look at the warehouse

"Their actions." Summer said, "When you think about it, it's a clever plan. You use the children to rob the stores of their dust, which keeps suspicion off the White Fang since they're not in uniform. This lets the group operate with less heat than usual. On top of it, you find possible new recruits and weed out those that may become a problem later on." She lifted the binoculars again towards the warehouse, "Without knowing how many are inside we're at a disadvantage… "

"Are we? Naruto is able to even out the numbers right?" Weiss asked as she crouched next to Summer.

"Yes, but the clones do have a limit. Without an aura of their own, one good strike or gunshot will remove the clone. The clones leave smoke and if enough smoke fills the building people can use it to escape, even if it is for a short while…" Summer replied before she turned to the clone maker, "Naruto, I want you and Blake to sneak inside from the rooftops. Scout the numbers and where the dust is being kept."

Naruto simply gave a mock salute with a smile as Blake looked surprised, "Me?"

"Yes, Blake. You showed excellent stealth skills during the initiation from Beacon. I trust you can watch Naruto's back and he can watch yours while not getting caught. Once we have the information we need, the rest of us can move in." Summer said as she pulled a small radio from one of her pouches on her belt and put it around her neck. "Naruto, channel?"

"Channel two." Naruto said as he stood up. He passed his crude map to Ruby, "Hold onto that. It's not great, but it has the patrols marked with how long they take." Once Ruby had the map Naruto turned to Blake, "Come on, we can get in from the rooftop." Blake nodded and effortlessly followed Naruto off the roof onto another. After they were a few rooftops away, Naruto gave Blake a playful smirk, "So excited for your first mission?"

"Not really. I still think it is too soon for the team to be on assignment." Blake replied as she scanned the ground for any stray members of the White Fang that Naruto could have missed.

Naruto let out a quick laugh, "My first mission outside my village was when I was twelve. Turned into a really dangerous one too." Naruto said before he gave Blake a pat on the back, "Don't worry about a thing Blake. We'll be fine. If anything happens you have Auntie and me to clean things up!" With that said he leaped over to the warehouse roof. Naruto was completely oblivious to Blake's annoyed stare. She could only sigh before she followed him over to the next building; after all, any hesitation on this would definitely get the attention of the others. She quickly followed the blonde onto the roof, who was already climbing inside one of the building skylights. "Auntie, we're in." Naruto whispered into the mic as Blake landed on a rafter next to him. The two stayed behind the lights as they crept closer to the center of the room. "That's a lot of kids…" Naruto whispered as he looked over the crowd. On one side of the floor was the group of children Naruto had seen entering the building and the others were more White Fang members taking all of the Dust the children had acquired. The members appeared to be sorting it out before moving it into secure containers to be transported to a room in the back.

One large man with a different mask than the rest on what appeared to be a stage with a banner behind him caught Naruto's and Blake's attention. _"Oh no…!"_ Blake thought when she spotted the person.

"Thank you all for coming! Those of you joining us tonight, you have proven yourself worthy of being brought together under the name of the White Fang! The mission to gather Dust was little more than a formality to prove you were true to the cause! It showed you were capable of carrying out the orders given to you. We will now begin handing you your Grimm masks and uniforms. With these, you are considered full fledge recruits for the White Fang! Together we will take our place back in this world from the humans!" The White Fang lieutenant said with gusto as the audience started to cheer.

"Well… he definitely won't be one we convince to go home after tonight…" Naruto mumbled to himself before he pressed the button on his radio, "Auntie, you were right. There are more Fang members inside. At least a couple dozen along with someone that looks like he's higher on the food chain. Some of the dust is still in the main room but they're moving it to the back as we speak."

" **Follow the dust and find out how much more they've managed to gather."** Summer responded.

"Roger that." Naruto acknowledged before he nudged Blake," Let's go."

Blake didn't move for a moment as she stared at the Lieutenant. He would definitely recognize her if seen. Therefore, she needed to remain unseen. She quietly followed Naruto as the two moved through the rafters to the back wall, carefully staying in the shadows of the lights the entire time. When they got close to the wall, they both dropped down behind a set of boxes. The pair watched as a group of Fang members carried more dust into the back and carefully followed them without being seen. Once in the back room of the warehouse, they dived behind more crates near the door. Sneaking quietly using all of the scattered crates and equipment to remain hidden, the two moved closer towards the Fang members. Once they found a good hiding spot to spy on everyone, they gasped at what they saw. Along with another couple dozen soldiers loading up enormous amounts of dust and weapons into shipping containers that rested on the back of flat bed trucks sat a short woman with pink and brown hair. The woman, Neopolitan, seemed to be keeping an eye on the grunts as she crossed her legs and spun an open parasol slowly as it rested on her shoulder, "I thought the White Fang was an anti-human group…" Naruto muttered before he pressed his radio button, "Auntie, we have another two dozen grunts in the back and at least three large containers that they're loading the dust into. Also, there seems to be a human woman here helping them."

" **A human woman? Are you sure?"** Summer asked.

"She doesn't have any animal traits as far as I can see." Naruto confirmed in a hushed voice.

Back on the rooftop Summer cupped her chin in thought. Bringing a human into the folds of the White Fang was never heard of before short of them being a captive. If she was assisting the organization, then workings of the terrorist group itself could very well restructuring. This could explain the sudden change in the group's behavior with such a bold recruitment system. They couldn't ignore this development, **"Slight change of plans. Are you able to secure the dust?"**

"It'll be difficult since I don't know how to make these vehicles go. I can easily make enough clones to carry it all but it'll be a bit hard to get it out without getting caught in the cross fire. Plus that will leave less manpower to round up the targets." Naruto answered as he and Blake watched the grunts. Blake's eyes narrowed at the woman. The sight of a human working with the White Fang clearly angered her but thankfully Naruto was too focused to notice as he awaited Summer's instructions.

" **Hm… When we begin the operation, wait for the grunts to try and leave. Only stop them if the woman tries to escape as well. Once she is secure we'll focus on the leader. If they try to escape with the dust, destroy the trucks."** Summer said.

"Roger that… oh speaking of the big guy, he's coming in right now. Going silent." Naruto whispered as the Lieutenant walked into the room. He quickly relayed the orders from Summer to Blake before the head cheese could speak.

The Lieutenant stopped as one of his grunts saluted, "How is the loading process progressing?"

"We'll be finished before sunrise, sir. It would go faster if the wench would help as well…" The grunt commented sourly as he turned to the woman. She simply looked at the grunt with a smirk and twirled her parasol again.

"Just ignore her. The Commander has ordered we work together with her and those other humans. As much as they disgust me… they do serve a purpose. Once the containers are loaded, move them onto the trucks and head for the hideout. We'll move the recruits to the camp for training." The Lieutenant commanded the grunt before he turned to address some of the other White Fang members in the room.

"Blake, think you can hold your own with this many around?" Naruto asked only to receive silence for an answer. He turned to his stealth partner and noticed her glare towards the woman in the room. While giving Blake a gentle nudge he asked, "Do you know her?"

"No…" Blake answered, "I just know she doesn't belong here. The White Fang would never accept help from a human."

"Unless they've gotten desperate." Naruto replied as he pulled Maelstrom out in its compact form, "When you hate something enough, you'll turn to any option to help you destroy what you hate. Even if that means working with the very enemy you resent so long as it gets you to the greater enemy."

Blake's eyes narrowed at this revelation. It was possible for the White Fang to find and use humans to their advantage if it furthered their own goals. After all what better way to strike at humans than show that even other humans would turn against them? Of course, once their purpose was fulfilled than the terrorist group would simply dispose of the help as they have done to other humans in the past. Blake clenched her fist in anger… Reasons like this were why she left the organization in the first place. She had watched as it turned from a peaceful group to the monster unworthy of its own name. The White Fang, an un-bloodied fang that did not shed blood to reach coexistence with humans. That's what it was supposed to be… "We need to find out what they are planning." Blake said as she readied her weapon.

Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, "We will. Just wait for the signal." He said before he contacted Summer, "Auntie, we're ready to go. Their boss is just giving out orders." He said to her.

Back on the rooftop, Summer smiled, "Alright. We'll begin the operation shortly. Once the chaos starts, capture the woman and their boss." She said. She received a "roger" from Naruto and readied her weapons in gun mode as she addressed Ruby, Yang, and Weiss. "This is the plan. There are roughly around four dozen White Fang members on the premises. That isn't counting the kids inside who we'll have to subdue as well if they join in the fight. Weiss and Yang, you'll both come with me towards the door. We're going to make as much noise as possible to get attention. Ruby, you'll stay up here and cover us with sniper fire. Come down if it gets to the point where there are too many to shoot and meet up with us. Under no circumstance are any of you to go off on your own." The three teens nodded as they readied their weapons. "Let's go!" Summer commanded as she leaped off the roof. She, Weiss, and Yang all fired off towards the guarded door, easily taking the two guards by surprise and definitely getting the attention of the rest.

Soon enough the rest of the Fang members started to pour out of the warehouse to address the threat as most of the unmasked teenagers fled the warehouse. The front runner of the White Fang was dropped within seconds of a bullet hitting his chest from Ruby's sniper rifle. Bouncing from target to target, Ruby took down a number of the assailants from her cover position. Granted one shot wasn't enough to stop the target for good but it brought everyone else helpful seconds.

The grunts were proving a little challenge for the rest squad. Yang was easily holding off two attacks at once, blasting them away with an Ember Celica enhanced punch each. Weiss would send multiple Fang at a time flying with her dust enhanced glyphs. Most of the grunts handled by these two managed to get back up for another round with the two teens. Summer, however, showed her experience in combat as she completely incapacitated her targets. The first Fang member to attack her found himself blocked by Summer's blade. She punched the man in the stomach and followed it up by kicking his legs out from under him. As the man fell to the ground Summer slammed the blade into his back. The force of the attack was enough to render the man unconscious as she turned to her block her second attacker. She parted the blade to catch the attacker's sword between the two pieces of metal and blasted the attacker's sword to pieces with a pair of revolver rounds. The Fang member recoiled in shock at the destruction of his weapon only to be slugged in the face by Summer followed by a round house kick to send him to the ground. She turned to the other White Fang members with a smile as she rested her weapon on her shoulders, "Next please."

"We're being attacked!" One of the White Fang members shouted from the front room.

The Lieutenant growled behind his mask before he turned to a few of the henchmen, "You four help me get the trucks ready to leave! The rest of you to the front!" Most of the room cleared out within seconds of being ordered.

Blake cursed her luck mentally as her breathing hastened. No doubt her secret would be exposed once she was seen. Then she would have to explain to everyone how she was both a faunus and a former member of the White Fang. Blake was so focused on her thoughts that she nearly jumped when she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder, "You ready?" He asked with Maelstrom in its gun mode.

Blake froze for only a second before she nodded. It was beyond the point of no return in her case. _"Maybe… If I can get the drop on him…"_ She thought for a moment. If the Lieutenant was knocked unconscious then he couldn't reveal what she was.

"Alright. I'll go for the big guy after we take out the lackeys first!" Naruto whispered before he folded his hands together.

The Lieutenant, Neopolitan, and the henchmen all turned to the shout of, "Shadow Clone jutsu!" Smoke erupted from the hiding place before a squad of Naruto clones all leaped out at their targets. The grunts all went down with ease as the clones tackled down to the ground. Neo countered her clone easily with her open parasol as she deflected her attacker away.

The Lieutenant quickly pulled his two-handed chainsaw sword out and blocked Naruto's blade. He pushed Naruto back and revved the chainsaw's engine, "You are a fool coming in here alone!"

Naruto only smirked as he assumed his combat stance, "I'm never alone pal! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he formed a squad of clones to swarm the Lieutenant.

Neopolitan moved to assist her fellow criminal only to stop at the sound of Gamble Shroud being fired off. She stepped back just in time to see the weapon fly past her face and turned with a fierce glare at its owner. Blake returned her weapon to its sword mode with its sheath in her other hand. Neo's glare lightened up as a smirk appeared on her lips. She could play with this girl for a bit for fun as the White Fang Lieutenant dealt with the blonde one.

 _Blake versus Neopolitan:_

Blake sized up her opponent from afar. A closer look only reaffirmed that short woman was definitely not a faunus. "Why are you working with the White Fang?!" Blake demanded to know, only to be answered with Neo's smirk. This smirk only irritated Blake as she scowled, "Fine! We'll get the answer out of you one way or another!" She shouted as she charged forward. Neo only continued to smirk as she avoided each and every one of Blake's slashes with ease and grace. Blake leaped back from Neo when she noticed none of her attacks were connecting. She transformed Gamble Shroud and threw it at Neo again. Neo avoided the attack once again before she surprised Blake by wrapping the ribbon of Blake's weapon around her umbrella. She used the ribbon to pull Blake towards her and drive the heel of her boot into Blake's jaw. Blake used her semblance to avoid the kick; however, with Neo still holding the ribbon, her escape was severely subdued.

Neo seemed puzzled by the lack of effect her strike had for only a moment before she resumed the battle. Blake raised her sheath to cut the ribbon free of her weapon only to have her arm caught by Neo. The short fighter turned her back and forced Blake's elbow down against her shoulder. Blake dropped her sheath from the force of the pull despite her attempt to keep hold of it. Neo kicked the bladed sheath away as it fell, sending it sliding across the ground away from the two. Neo's smile remained as she surprised Blake with her flexibility and delivered a kick to Blake's face from the front. Blake recoiled back as she did not expect the strike. Neo attempted to follow up with a second kick only to hit Blake's semblance. Blake spun around Neo and grabbed the other half of her ribbon, using it to return Gamble Shroud to her hands. She quickly used the blade to cut her ribbon free before she went after her sheath with a roll. _"She's no push over…"_ Blake thought as she recovered her second weapon.

Neo removed the remains of the ribbon and opened her umbrella, twirling it slowly as she let it rest against her shoulder. She clearly wasn't taking Blake seriously in this battle. Blake took a moment to tie the remains of her ribbon back into place, _"I have to be careful."_ Blake thought before she fired off a barrage of bullets at Neo. Neo blocked the rounds with her umbrella as Blake charged forward. Before the two could continue their battle, however, a loud explosion grabbed the attention of both. The two females turned to the source of the explosion in time to see the dust filled truck violently explode and send them both flying back as the foundation started to crack.

 _Naruto versus the Lieutenant:_

"Rah!" The Lieutenant screamed as he attempted to swat away the annoyances that were Naruto's clones. The clones were too quick for the large man however as they ducked and weaved out of the range of his attacks. Naruto's training over the years made him and his army this Lieutenant's worst type of opponent. His brute force style of fighting had little hope of hitting Naruto, and the added factor of clones made it virtually impossible. One of the clones blocked a strike from the chainsaw sword as another clone charged in and delivered a haymaker to the stomach. As the hulking man leaned over from the blow another clone launched him into the air with a kick. The remaining clones leaped at their aerial target and delivered a slash as they flew by with another Naruto appearing above the Lieutenant, "Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto shouted as he sent his foe to the ground with an axe kick. "Heaven's drop!" Naruto added as he pointed his sword down and used his semblance to propel towards his target.

The Lieutenant rolled out of the way of the attack and grabbed Naruto's leg once he landed, "Come here!" He shouted and he threw Naruto across the room. Naruto crashed into a crate before it popped into a cloud of smoke. The Lieutenant knocked away another Naruto as he climbed to his feet only to find it was another clone, "You irritating blonde brat!" The Lieutenant yelled as grabbed and revved the engine of his weapon again. He resisted the urge to charge seeing as he had barely dented the clone's numbers. This didn't stop a group of clones from attacking him together as they all rushed in from the front.

The Lieutenant slashed through the three clones and created a cloud of smoke and in front of him. "Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as he came through the smoke with the jutsu ready in hand. The Lieutenant screamed in pain as the attack ground through his armor before he was sent flying into the wall. With a loud thud and groan, the Lieutenant fell onto a crate limp, but alive. "Good thing you have an aura pal, or your insides would be a pile of mush right now." Naruto said as he walked up to the unconscious Lieutenant. As Naruto walked past, one of the unconscious grunts slowly got up. Seeing his boss unconscious and the blonde teenager not even marked, he quickly fled to one of the trucks in hopes of making a quick getaway. Naruto turned at the sound of the truck's engine attempting to turn over and reacted out of reflex, "No you don't!" He yelled as he threw an explosive tag kunai into the open trailer on the truck.

Naruto's mind caught up to his action as he realized what he had done. _"Oh shit!"_ He thought as the kunai exploded. One moment later all of the dust inside of the truck reacted violently to the dust set off a multi-elemental based explosion that sends everyone flying back. Naruto slid across the ground while the unconscious Lieutenant flew off into a wall. Blake crashed through a crate as Neo slammed into the flat side of a steel beam that held the building's roof up. The back of the warehouse itself was torn to pieces by the force of the explosion. "Blake, you okay?!" Naruto called out as he picked himself up. Silence was his answer

"Yeah… My aura is shot though." Blake answered as she looked at her scroll.

"Let's grab these two and then…" Naruto started to say before the ground started to crack and crumble into the ground. The remains of the truck were swallowed as the rest of the warehouse started to follow suit. "Sinkhole!" Blake yelled.

"Blake go! I'll grab these two!" Naruto commanded her as he made a shadow clone to take the Lieutenant out while he went for the dazed Neo. Blake fled from the growing hole as commanded as the clone lifted the unconscious Faunus dead weight. Naruto reached for Neo has he reached her only to see her be swallowed by the earth along with himself as the warehouse collapsed on top of them all.

Summer groaned as she picked herself up after being knocked over by the explosion. _"Next time…Tell Naruto to simply leave the dust."_ Summer thought as she took a quick look around. No one seemed to be caught in the direct blast and was simply blasted away. The remaining conscious members of the White Fang all scattered as they recovered from the blast, knowing it would attract the attention of the law enforcement. After getting their asses handed to them by three teenage girls and one woman, common sense kicked in and told the remaining awake members to scatter. "Weiss! Yang! You two alright?!" Summer yelled as she climbed back to her feet.

"I'm good!" Yang answered as she hopped to her feet and dusted herself off.

Weiss took a second to steady herself after Yang helped her up before she answered, "I am uninjured as well."

"Mom!" The voice of Ruby exclaimed as she appeared in a red blur next to her mother, "What happened?!"

"I'm guessing Naruto happened." Summer answered. "Yang and Weiss, you two round up the unconscious White Fang members. Ruby and I will check on Naruto." Summer commanded. The two teens nodded, but before anyone could take action the ground started to crack and crumble. Summer noticed the concrete foundation start to sink below, "Everyone run!" Summer yelled as the ground started to collapse from the warehouse. Yang hoofed it as she carried two of the unconscious Fang members with her. Weiss used her glyph to fire herself and a group of the knocked out members to safety. Summer followed suit with one Fang member slung over her shoulder as Ruby followed her.

"Wait! What about Blake and Naruto?!" Ruby asked as she turned back to the warehouse just in time to see it collapse into a large sink hole. "NO!" She yelled as she prepared to speed into wreckage only to be stopped as Summer grabbed her hood.

"Ruby stop! You'll just get caught in the wreckage!" Summer yelled as she pulled her daughter back, "We have to trust that Blake and Naruto got out okay. We'll search the perimeter of the sink hole first!"

"But…" Ruby started to say only to stop when she noticed a figure climbing out of the hole. "Blake!" Ruby yelled before she and the others rushed to her aid. "Blake, are you okay?!" Ruby asked as she and Summer helped her away from the sink hole.

"I'm fine… but Naruto… I didn't see him make it out." Blake answered. She had barely made it out of the opening before the building came down and used Gamble Shroud to stop herself from falling into the hole itself.

The teens were all at a loss for words at the news of their friend's possible demise. Summer however simply turned to the hole, "Don't be too worried. It will take more than some rocks and metal to stop Naruto." She said as she pulled out her scroll. After pulling up the aura reading application, she smiled, "His aura is still showing, though it is in the red. For now…" Summer said as she took a look around at the warehouse buildings. A good bit away she spotted a mobile crane. "Blake, Weiss, and Yang, you three will make sure these fang members don't go anywhere. Ruby you're going to come with me. We'll use that crane to lower you down and help Naruto out.

The girls all nodded before they split off. As Summer and Ruby went for the crane, Blake couldn't help but say, "She's rather calm about this entire situation, especially with Naruto falling into the sink hole… Even if his aura is showing a reading, he could be buried alive!"

"Well…" Yang started to say as she gave one of the stirring White Fang members a punch to make sure he stayed asleep, "I can see her point. Naruto is anything but normal. I wouldn't be surprised if he came running up the wall."

 _In the hole:_

Naruto groaned in annoyance as he sat up holding his head. If he had grabbed that woman one second sooner they wouldn't be in this mess. He glanced around, grateful the light from the surface reached down to his location, in search of anyone else for a moment before he spotted Neo partially buried under some rubble. "Hey, you okay?!" He asked as he made his way over to her. From what he could see she wasn't too worse for wear, although she wouldn't be using one of her legs for a while.

Neo groaned in pain before she spotted Naruto. Her pain turned to anger as she attempted to stab at Naruto with her umbrella, "You dumbass!" She yelled only to stop from the pain her leg emitted as Naruto caught the umbrella.

"Calm down. Unless you want me to leave you buried down here in this mess." Naruto said as he pointed at rubble pinning Neo down. "I can get you out, but only if you agree to my conditions."

Neo scowled in anger at the blonde boy before she looked down at her leg. It seems like she didn't have a choice in the matter this time. "What are they?" She asked, the anger she felt clear in her voice. She would team up with this boy for now. At least until she was free of this mess.

* * *

 **That will do it for now. Yes, Neo can talk in this story! Seeing as the people of RoosterTeeth have said before she has a voice actress and line, but simply haven't used her yet. So I've decided to break the usual silent Neo set up and have someone annoy her enough to get her to speak!**

 **Again I'm really sorry this took so long. College hit hard so I've been real busy the last five months. On top of that, I feel as if I really suck at combat scenes. If anyone has any good tips on how to improve the small scenes I did in this chapter, it would be greatly appreciated**


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